£  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 


# 


Princeton,  N.  J. 


* 


<& 


LIBEAEY 


PRINCETON,  N.  ].  *ff. 


PRESENTED  BY 


THE  PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION 


"R  L_ 


I  OS! Co 


AN 


EXPOSITION 


Œïu  fputh  «I  faint  Haul 


PHILIPPIANS. 

/ 
BY  THE  REV.  JEAN  DAILLÉ, 

MINISTER   OF   THE    FRENCH    REFORMED    CHURCH    AT    CHARENTON,   A.  D.  1639. 


TRANSLATED    FROM    THE    FRENCH 

BY   THE   REV.   JAMES    SHERMAN, 


MINISTER    OF    SURREY    CHAPEL,    LONDON. 


PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION, 

821  Chestnut  Street. 


STEREOTTPED  BT 

JESPER  HARDING  &  SON, 

SO.   57   SOUTH   THIRD    STREET,    PHILADELPHIA. 


MEMOIR 


THE  REV.  JEAN  DAILLÉ. 


Je  AN"  D  aillé,  a  celebrated  French  Protestant  minister,  was 
born  at  Chattellerault,  in  the  year  1594.  His  father,  who  was 
the  receiver  of  the  consignations  at  Poitiers,  designed  him  for 
business,  and  to  become  his  successor  in  his  office.  But  observ- 
ing his  son's  strong  inclination  to  books,  he  judiciously  yielded 
to  it,  and  sent  him,  when  he  had  attained  his  eleventh  year,  to 
St.  Maixent,  in  Poitou,  to  acquire  the  rudiments  of  learning. 
He  continued  his  studies  successively  at  Poitiers,  Chatteller- 
ault, and  Saumur.  At  the  last  place  he  finished  his  course  of 
philosophy  under  the  celebrated  Mark  Duncan  ;  and  began  his 
theological  studies  at  Saumur,  in  the  year  1612.  In  the  same 
year  he  was  received  into  the  family  of  the  illustrious  M.  du 
Plessis-Mornay,  in  the  honourable  capacity  of  tutor  to  his  two 
grandsons.  This  was  one  of  the  most  felicitous  providences  in 
M.  Daillé's  life  ;  for  though  he  was,  doubtless,  well  qualified 
for  his  trust,  and  faithfully  discharged  it,  yet  it  is  said  that  he 
received  as  much  instruction  from  the  venerable  grandfather 
as  he  communicated  to  the  grandsons.  Mornay  was  extremely 
pleased  with  him,  and  frequently  read  with  him,  and  imparted 
to  him  those  rich  stores  of  learning  and  knowledge  with  which 
his  own  mind  was  furnished  ;  so  that  some  have  attributed  the 
great  celebrity  which  Daillé  afterwards  attained  to  the  assist- 
.  ance  he  received  from  his  noble  patron  ;  and  it  may  be  justly 
supposed  that  the  counsels  and  instructions  of  that  excellent 

(3) 


4  MEMOIR  OF   THE   REV.  JEAN   DAILLE. 

man  were  not  wasted  on  him.  After  enjoying  the  advantages 
of  this  situation  for  seven  years,  he  set  out  on  his  travels  with 
his  pupils,  and  went  to  Geneva,  and  thence  through  Piedmont 
and  Lombardy  to  Venice,  and  other  parts  of  Italy.  While  at 
Mantua  one  of  his  pupils  was  taken  ill,  and  he  removed  him, 
with  all  speed,  to  Padua,  where  greater  liberty  was  allowed  to 
Protestants  than  in  other  parts  of  Italy  ;  but  there  the  young 
man  died,  and  it  was  not  without  great  address  that  Daillé, 
aided  by  the  memorable  Father  Paul,  avoided  the  observation 
of  the  inquisitors,  in  removing  his  corpse  to  France,  that  it 
might  be  interred  in  the  burial-place  of  his  ancestors. 

While  at  Venice  M.  Daillé  entered  into  a  most  intimate 
friendship  with  the  erudite  and  candid  historian  of  the  Council 
of  Trent,  and  afterwards  spoke  of  the  results  of  this  intimacy 
as  the  principal  benefit  which  he  received  from  his  travels  ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  such  was  the  affection  that  Paul  con- 
ceived for  him,  that  he  used  his  utmost  endeavour  with  a 
French  physician,  of  the  Protestant  religion,  and  one  of  his  in- 
timate friends,  to  prevail  with  him  to  stay  at  Venice* 

M.  Daillé,  and  his  surviving  pupil,  proceeded  from  Italy  to 
Switzerland,  Germany,  Flanders,  Holland,  and  England,  and 
returned  to  their  native  country  in  the  year  1621. 

In  1623  he  entered  the  ministry  at  the  castle  of  La  Forest, 
in  Lower  Poitou,  belonging  to  M.  du  Plessis-Mornay.  But  in 
a  short  time  after  that  nobleman  was  taken  ill,  and  died  in  the 
arms  of  the  new  pastor.  He  now  engaged  in  preparing  for 
the  press  memoirs  of  his  patron,  which  had  been  compiled  by 
one  of  his  domestics,  of  the  name  of  De  Lignes,  and  were  after- 
wards published  in  two  volumes. 

In  1625  he  was  elected  minister  of  the  church  at  Saumur, 
and  in  the  following  year  was  called  by  the  consistory  of 
Paris  to  take  the  charge  of  the  church  at  Charenton.     Here  he 

*  This  circumstance,  among  many  others,  has  been  thought  no  inconsiderable 
proof  that  Father  Paul  concealed,  under  the  habit  of  a  monk,  a  temper  devoted 
to  Protestantism  and  its  professors.  His  detestation  of  the  corruptions  of  the 
Romish  Church  appears  in  all  his  writings,  but  particularly  in  the  following  re- 
markable passage  in  one  of  his  letters  :  "  There  is  nothing  more  essential  than 
to  ruin  the  reputation  of  the  Jesuits.  By  the  ruin  of  the  Jesuits,  Rome  will  be 
ruined  ;   and  if  Rome  be  ruined,  religion  will  reform  of  itself." 


MEMOIR  OF   THE   EEV.  JEAN   DAILLB.  5 

continued  to  fulfil  his  ministry  for  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
widely  diffusing  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
He  died  at  Paris  in  the  year  1670. 

He  frequently  assisted  in  the  Protestant  national  synods 
that  were  holden  in  France,  where  his  influence  was  very 
great;  and  presided  at  the  last  synod  prior  to  the  revocation 
of  the  edict  of  Nantz,  which  assembled  in  London  in  the  year 
1659.  However  repugnant  were  the  doctrines  maintained  by 
our  author  to  those  of  the  Romish  Church,  he  was  highly  es- 
teemed by  many  of  that  communion  for  his  learning,  abilities, 
integrity,  moderation,  and  obliging  and  affable  manners. 
Balzac  once  exclaimed  to  him,  "  Oh  that  such  a  man  as  you 
are  were  on  our  side  !"  That  he  was  highly  valued  by  the 
Protestants  of  France  will  be  readily  supposed.  They  were 
accustomed  to  say  that  "  since  the  days  of  Calvin,  they  had 
possessed  no  better  writer  than  M.  Daillé." 

He  was  a  very  voluminous  author.  This  will  not  be 
thought  wonderful,  when  it  is  considered  that  he  lived  long, 
was  remarkably  exempted  from  sickness,  and  was  very  labo- 
rious. He  was  eminently  endued  with  the  qualifications  of  an 
author,  and  had  this  singular  advantage,  that  his  understanding 
was  not  impaired  by  age  ;  for  it  is  observable  that  there  is 
no  less  strength  and  ardour  in  his  two  volumes,  entitled  "  De 
Objecto  Cultus  Eeligiosi,"  the  first  of  which  was  published 
when  he  was  seventy  years  old,  than  in  any  of  his  earlier 
works. 

In  the  year  1631  he  published  his  most  celebrated  work, 
entitled  "  Of  the  Use  of  the  Fathers,"*  which  Bayle  character- 
ized as  "  a  very  strong  chain  of  arguments,  that  form  a  moral 
demonstration  against  those  who  would  have  differences  in  re- 
ligion to  be  decided  by  the  authority  of  the  fathers."f  This 
able  performance  was  censured,  not  only  in  Eoman  Catholic 
countries,  but  by  some  English  Episcopalians,  who  thought 
that  it  tended  to  obscure  the  merits  of  the  ancient  church. 


*  De  1'  Usage  des  Pères."     [Republished  by  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Publication.] 

f  Dr.  Fleetwood,  Bishop  of  Ely,  said  of  this  book,  that  it  "  pretty  sufficiently 
proved  the  fathers  were  of  no  use  at  all." 


6  MEMOIR   OF   THE   REV.   JEAN   DAILLE. 

But  by  the  more  liberal  part  of  the  English  communion  it  was 
received  with  very  great  applause,  as  is  evident  from  testimo- 
nies in  its  favour  from  Lord  Falkland,  (who  used  to  say  that 
"  to  obtain  the  acquaintance  of  M.  Daillé  was  worth  going  to 
Paris,")  Lord  George  Digby,  and  Dr.  Taylor,  prefixed  to  an 
English  translation  of  it,  by  the  learned  Thomas  Smith,  B.  D. 
Fellow  of  Christ's  College,  Cambridge;  and  also  from  Lord 
Clarendon's  excellent  apology  for  it,  in  his  answer  to  Serenus 
Cressay. 

In  1663  Daillé  published  another  work  of  general  interest, 
entitled  "  An  Apology  for  the  Eeformed  Churches,"*  in  which 
he  vindicates,  with  much  learning  and  argument,  their  separa- 
tion from  the  Church  of  Eome,  from  the  imputation  of  schism, 
which  was  often  alleged  against  them.  This  work,  as  well  as 
the  former,  was  translated  into  English,  and  also  into  Latin. 
As  soon  as  his  "  Apology"  appeared,  it  was  much  censured  by 
the  clergy  of  France,  and  some  of  them  were  employed  to  write 
against  it.  Daillé  wrote  two  or  three  little  pieces  in  defence 
of  it,  which  were  afterwards  printed  with  it  in  the  Latin  edi- 
tion. Besides  the  two  works  above  mentioned,  he  published 
about  twenty  volumes  of  sermons,  several  critical  and  contro- 
versial pieces,  and  others  of  a  temporary  nature. 

His  Expositions  of  the  Philippians  and  Colossians  will  af- 
ford the  lovers  of  sound  practical  theology  much  edification. 
They  are  marked  by  clear  interpretation  of  Scripture — great 
candour  towards  other  expositors — boldness  for  the  faith — 
and  vigorous  attacks  on  the  errors  of  the  papacy,  which  he  ex- 
poses with  singular  skill,  and  refutes  with  masculine  energy. 
His  sanctified  eloquence  appears  in  every  page,  but  especially 
in  his  perorations,  which,  for  close  appeals  to  the  conscience, 
ardent  love  to  a  precious  Saviour,  earnest  exhortations  to  holy 
walking  with  God,  and  active  service  for  Christ,  exceed  any 
which  have  fallen  into  the  editor's  hands,  and,  in  his  opinion, 
justify  the  sentence  written  on  the  title  page  by  a  devoted  ser- 
vant of  Christ,  from  whose  library  the  copy  of  this  Exposi- 
tion of  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  was  obtained,  "  This  is  the 
most  eloquent  book  in  my  library." 

The  Exposition  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  is  now  for 

*  "  L'  Apologie  des  nos  Eglises." 


MEMOIR  OF   THE   EEV.   JEAN   DAILLE.  7 

the  first  time  translated  into  English.  The  editor  begs  to  ex- 
press his  obligations  to  the  Misses  Clifton  for  the  great  assist- 
ance rendered  him  in  this  department  of  labour,  and  to  F. 
Eivaz,  Esq.,  to  whose  critical  knowledge  both  of  the  French 
and  English  languages  it  is  indebted  for  much  of  its  point  and 
power.  A  faithful,  but  verbal,  translation  of  the  Exposition 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians  appeared  in  English  in  the  year 
1672,  the  copies  of  which  have  now  become  very  scarce.  That 
translation  has  undergone  revision  in  the  present  edition,  and 
it  is  hoped  will  be  found  considerably  improved. 

While  the  labour  of  revising  and  preparing  these  valuable 
treasures  of  theological  lore  is  not  small,  the  editor  acknow- 
ledges, with  thankfulness  to  God,  that  he  has  derived  great 
encouragement  to  proceed  in  his  work  from  the  testimonies  of 
approbation  which  he  has  received  from  ministers  of  Christ, 
and  pious  and  intelligent  laymen,  in  various  sections  of  the 
church.  He  trusts  that  these  precious  pieces  of  Daillé,  sent 
forth  in  a  more  inviting  dress,  and  at  a  cheaper  rate,  will  yet 
further  contribute  to  their  consolation  and  instruction,  and 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  be  abundantly  glorified. 

J.  SHERMAN. 
Surrey  Parsonage,  Jan.  11,  1841. 


TO  THE  HIGH  AND  MIGHTY  LADY 

MADAM  ANNE  DE   MORNAY, 

DUCHESS  AND  MARESCHALE  DE  LA  FORCE. 


Madam  : — It  is  not  without  cause  that  an  ancient  doctor  of 
the  church,  not  less  celebrated  for  the  sanctity  of  his  manners 
than  for  the  graces  of  his  eloquence,  formerly  complained  that 
the  apostle  Paul  was  not  known  by  christians  as  he  ought  to 
be*     For  the  writings  of  this  holy  man  are  so  replete  with 
heavenly  wisdom,  that  they  would  suffice  to  produce  in  us 
perfect  piety,  if  we  read  them  with  suitable  assiduity  and  at- 
tention.    He  explains  the  mysteries  of  faith  ;  he  treats  of  the 
duties  of  life  ;  he  expatiates  on  the  consolations  of  the  Spirit  ; 
he  represents  the  whole  nature  of  the  christian  conflict  in  so 
admirable  a  manner,  that  there  is  no  soul  so  ignorant  that  he 
cannot  instruct  ;  so  vile,  that  he  cannot  subdue  ;  so  profane, 
that  he  cannot  sanctify  ;  so  afflicted,  that  he  cannot  console  ; 
nor  so  cowardly,  that  he  cannot  awaken  and  fill  with  courage. 
I  well  know  that  the  worldly-minded  complain  of  the  difficulty 
of  his  doctrine,  and  the  refined,  of  the  harshness  of  his  lan- 
guage.    But  both  these  excuses  are  but  the  false  pretexts  of 
the  idleness  and  malice  of  mankind.    The  depth  of  those  mines 
where  nature  has  hidden  gold  and  silver  does  not  prevent  our 
digging  into  them  with  infinite  labour,  nor  the  distance  of  the 
Eastern  coast  our  going  thither  through  a  thousand  dangers  in 
search  of  pearls.     Here,  where  the  question  is  of  heavenly 
treasures,  incomparably  more  precious  than  all  those  of  earth, 


*  Chrysostom,  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans. 


10  DEDICATION. 

the  same  persons  are  discouraged,  on  account  of  a  little  diffi- 
culty in  opening  the  casket  wherein  this  treasure  is  enclosed. 
Besides,  it  is  certain  that  the  obscurity  of  which  they  accuse 
this  great  man  arises  almost  entirely  from  the  real  aversion 
they  feel  towards  the  holiness  of  his  doctrine,  which  the  cor- 
ruption of  their  passions  prevents  them  from  relishing.  "  If 
his  gospel  be  hid,  it  is  hidden  from  those  who  perish,  whose 
understanding  the  god  of  this  world  hath  blinded,"  2  Cor.  iv. 
3,  4.  And  as  to  the  bluntness  of  which  they  accuse  his  lan- 
guage, I  acknowledge  that  the  ornaments  of  worldly  eloquence 
are  not  to  be  found  in  it.  He  has  despised  all  that  artifice,  as 
unworthy  of  the  greatness  of  his  office,  and  of  the  dignity  of 
his  design,  contenting  himself  with  a  popular  form  of  speech, 
very  different  from  the  air  of  the  schools  and  the  rhetoric  of 
the  age.  But  it  is  a  lamentable  refinement  which  would  lead 
us  to  disdain  the  most  delicious  food,  under  the  pretext  that  it 
is  offered  to  us  in  earthen  dishes  ;  or  precious  stones,  because 
they  are  presented  to  us  in  a  wooden  casket.  The  simplicity 
of  the  apostle's  language  in  no  degree  lessens  the  price  of  the 
holy  truth  which  is  there  offered  to  us,  and  the  gold  of  his 
divine  thoughts  is  not  the  less  precious  nor  the  less  salutary 
because  it  is  contained  in  an  earthen  vessel.  Besides  which,  I 
am  sure  that  those  to  whom  this  apostle  is  familiar  will  not 
allow  that  his  writings  are  so  coarse  as  the  profane  pretend. 
If  they  have  not  the  graces  of  earth,  they  have  those  of  heaven  ; 
and  although  the  labour  of  human  art  no  where  appears,  an 
original  simplicity  and  vigorous  beauty  shine  throughout, 
arising  from  the  majesty  of  the  things  themselves,  and  from 
the  elevation  of  the  thoughts  of  this  divine  writer.  You  know 
it,  madam,  having  from  the  beginning  been  instructed  in  this 
holy  reading,  and  having  happily  drawn  from  it,  throughout 
the  whole  course  of  your  life,  the  fruits  of  that  edification  and 
consolation  which  are  therein  presented  to  us  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  This  has  led  me  to  believe  that  you  will  not  find  this 
book  disagreeable,  since  Paul  is  its  author.  For  I  have  therein 
endeavoured,  madam,  to  explain  the  first  two  chapters  of  the 
Epistle  which  he  formerly  wrote  to  the  Philippians,  and  which 
divine  Providence  has  preserved  entire  in  the  treasury  of  the 
church  for  the  good  of  christians.    I  acknowledge  that  so  rich 


DEDICATION.  H 

a  work  deserved  the  labour  of  a  better  hand,  and  that  if  there 
has  been  rashness  in  undertaking  it,  there  is  still  more  in  pub- 
lishing it.  But  whatever  feeling  I  may  have  of  my  own  insuf- 
ficiency, the  approbation  and  the  desire  of  the  faithful,  who 
have  already  heard  these  meditations  from  my  mouth  in  the 
church  where  I  officiate,  have  given  me  courage  to  bring  them 
to  light.  I  assume  then  the  boldness  of  addressing  them  to 
you,  madam,  and  of  placing  your  illustrious  name  at  the  head 
of  them,  and  I  shall  esteem  myself  happy,  if,  after  having  made 
the  trial,  you  shall  judge  them  capable  of  affording  some  edifi- 
cation to  good  and  pious  minds.  However  that  may  be,  I 
promise  myself,  madam,  both  from  your  singular  piety,  and 
from  the  kindness  with  which  you  have  graciously  honoured 
me,  that  if  the  present  work  be  unworthy  of  you,  its  little 
value  will  not  prevent  you  receiving  it  with  a  favourable  eye, 
and  accepting  the  respectful  affection  with  which  I  offer  it  to 
you.  This  favour  will  oblige  me  more  and  more  to  implore 
the  Creator  that  he  would  bless  you  and  preserve  you  to  his 
glory,  and  to  our  consolation,  with  my  lord  your  husband,  in 
perfect  prosperity,  and  to  remain  inviolably, 
Madam, 
Your  very  humble  and  very  obedient  servant, 

DAILLÉ. 
Paris,  Nov.  12th,  1643. 


EXPOSITION 


OF  THE 


EPISTLE  OF  PAUL  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS. 


SERMON  I. 
CHAPTER   I. 

VERSE   1-6. 


Paul  and  Timotheus,  the  servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  all  the  saints 
in  Christ  Jesus  which  are  at  Philippi,  with  the  bishops  and 
deacons  :  Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace,  from  God  our  Father, 
and  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I  thank  my  God  upon  every 
remembrance  of  you,  always  in  every  prayer  of  mine  for  you 
all  making  request  with  joy,  for  your  fellowship  in  the  gospel 
from  the  first  day  until  now  ;  being  confident  of  this  very  thing, 
that  he  which  hath  begun  a  good  work  in  you  will  perform  it 
until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Among  the  advantages  which  God  has  given  to  man  above 
animals,  there  is  scarcely  one  more  wonderful,  or  which  more 
clearly  shows  the  excellence  of  our  nature,  than  the  invention 
and  use  of  letters.  Thus  we  read  that  the  people  of  that  new 
world  which  was  discovered  in  the  time  of  our  fathers  found 
nothing  more  astonishing  than  this  art  ;  not  being  able  to  com- 
prehend how  a  small  sheet  of  paper,  marked  with  a  few  lines 
and  figures,  was  capable  of  revealing  to  a  man  the  secrets  of 
another,  absent  many  leagues  from  him  ;  and  previously  to 
having  learned  the  meaning,  they  imagined  that  there  must 
be  some  spirit  or  divine  virtue  enclosed  in  the  character  of  the 
letters,  to  produce  so  admirable  an  effect.  What  would  they 
have  said,  had  they  known  that  this  invention  not  only  com- 
municates to  us  the  conversations  and  the  thoughts  of  the 

(13) 


14  AN  EXPOSITION  OP  [SERM.  I. 

absent,  but  even  of  the  very  dead  ;  and,  in  spite  of  the  dis- 
tance of  times  and  places,  renders  those  present  to  us,  whom 
not  only  many  climes,  but  also  many  ages,  have  removed  from 
us  by  an  almost  infinite  space  ?  that  it  makes  them  speak  some 
thousands  of  years  after  their  death,  and  even  in  countries 
where  they  had  never  been  during  their  life  ?  By  the  blessing 
of  letters  they  still  live,  although  in  the  tomb,  and  converse 
with  many  more  persons  since  death  has  destroyed  their 
tongues,  than  they  did  during  the  whole  period  in  which  they 
had  the  entire  use  of  them.  As  the  holy  apostles  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  have  carefully  made  the  most  of  every  kind  of  endow- 
ment for  spreading  the  gospel  of  their  Master  throughout  the 
world,  they  have  not  failed  to  avail  themselves  of  this  also, 
multiplying  by  the  pen  both  their  preaching  and  their  presence, 
and  sending  in  their  letters,  as  it  were,  types  of  themselves 
into  those  places  where  some  causes  had  prevented  their  going 
in  person.  It  is  from  hence  that  we  possess  the  fourteen  di- 
vine Epistles  of  the  apostle  Paul,  written  on  sundry  occasions 
to  the  churches,  and  to  the  faithful,  with  whom  his  absence  did 
not  permit  him  to  converse  by  the  living  voice.  Thus  you  see 
that,  while  he  was  a  prisoner  in  Eome,  he  wrote  to  some  of 
those  beloved  churches  which  he  had  established  in  Asia  and 
in  Greece,  watering  with  his  pen  that  which  he  had  planted 
with  his  tongue.  Although  absent,  and  in  the  chains  of  Nero, 
still  by  means  of  his  letters  he  did  not  cease  to  preach,  and  to 
exercise  his  apostleship,  in  those  places  where  he  could  not  be 
present.  By  them  he  lives  and  preaches  still  in  the  midst  of 
us  :  they  have  extended  the  presence  and  the  intercourse  of 
this  holy  man  throughout  all  climates  and  in  every  age. 
Among  the  churches  on  whom  he  conferred  this  favour,  that 
of  the  Philippians  was  not  the  least  considerable.  Having 
chosen  the  Epistle  which  he  wrote  to  it  to  be  henceforth,  if  it 
please  the  Lord,  the  subject  of  these  discourses,  I  feel  myself 
obliged,  in  the  first  place,  to  make  you  acquainted  with  the 
circumstances  that  occasioned  it.  Philippi  was  a  city  of  Ma- 
cedonia, on  the  frontiers  of  Thrace,  built  by  Philip,  the  father 
of  Alexander  the  Great.  This  name  rendered  it  celebrated 
from  the  beginning.  But  since  that  time  it  has  become  much 
more  famous,  on  account  of  the  two  bloody  battles  which  the 
Romans  fought  on  its  plains,  in  one  of  which  Julius  Caesar, 
the  first  emperor  of  the  Romans,  conquered  Pompey,  and  in 
the  other,  Augustus,  the  son  and  successor  of  Julius,  defeated 
Brutus  and  Cassius.  Luke  tells  us,  in  the  16th  chapter  of 
Acts,  that  Paul  having  passed  from  Asia  into  Macedonia,  by 
order  of  a  heavenly  vision,  Philippi  was  the  first  town  where 
he  sowed  the  seed  of  the  gospel,  with  such  success  that  he  there 
gained  Lydia  with  her  family,  and  many  others,  whom  he 
afterwards  confirmed  in  the  faith  by  his  miracles  and  by  his 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  15 

sufferings.  For  he  there  publicly  closed  the  mouth  of  devils  ; 
and  having  been  brought  before  the  magistrates  and  scourged 
with  Silas  for  the  name  of  Jesus,  he  enlightened  with  celestial 
brightness  the  darkness  of  the  prison  itself  in  which  they  were 
placed.  And  although  the  magistrates  drove  him  from  the 
town,  still  his  word,  his  blood,  and  his  works  were  so  effica- 
cious, that  he  left  there  a  good  company  of  christians.  Whilst 
this  happy  church  thus  grew  at  Philippi,  Paul  pursued  his 
conquests  by  founding  others  elsewhere,  at  Thessalonica,  at 
Berea,  at  Athens,  at  Corinth,  and  at  Ephesus,  planting  the 
cross  of  his  Master  in  all  the  provinces  of  Greece.  But  the 
devil,  envying  his  success,  excited  against  him  the  rage  of  the 
Jews,  who,  not  being  able  to  put  him  to  death  in  Jerusalem, 
accused  him  before  the  Eoman  governors  of  the  country  ;  and 
after  a  long  captivity  in  the  city  of  Cesarea,  he  was  finally 
sent  to  Rome  to  be  judged  by  the  emperor  ;  there  he  remained 
for  some  years  a  prisoner.  The  church  of  the  Philippians,  re- 
membering what  they  owed  to  their  master,  visited  him  in  his 
bonds,  despatched  Epaphroditus  (who  appears  to  have  been 
their  pastor)  express  to  Rome,  to  inquire  after  him,  and  to  dis- 
pense to  him  some  fruits  of  their  charity,  rightly  judging  that, 
in  so  sad  a  situation,  he  would  require  assistance  both  for  the 
necessities  and  comforts  of  life.  Epaphroditus  acquitted  him- 
self of  his  commission,  and  informed  the  apostle  of  the  state 
of  the  Philippians,  and  of  the  assaults  directed  against  their 
faith  by  the  false  teachers  among  the  Jews,  who  tried  to  cor- 
rupt the  gospel,  and  to  mix  Moses  with  Jesus  Christ.  He  as- 
sured him  of  the  constancy  of  his  converts,  and  of  their  per- 
severance in  his  doctrine,  and  was  detained  some  time  with  the 
apostle  by  a  serious  illness  with  which  the  Lord  visited  him. 
When  he  recovered,  Paul  sent  him  back  to  Philippi,  and 
charged  him  with  this  Epistle,  where,  after  having  commended 
their  piety  and  their  zeal,  to  strengthen  them  in  this  good  way, 
and  to  fortify  them  against  the  temptations  of  the  enemy,  he 
addressed  various  exhortations  and  necessary  remonstrances  to 
them.  In  the  first  place,  he  declares  his  cordial  affection 
towards  them  5  he  speaks  to  them  of  himself,  and  of  his  bonds  ; 
he  conjures  them  not  to  lose  courage  from  the  extreme  dangers 
in  which  they  saw  him;  shows  them  that  his  imprisonment 
only  promoted  the  glory  of  the  gospel  ;  and  incited  them  by 
his  example  to  prepare  themselves  for  similar  combats.  And 
because  ambition  is  the  mother  of  discord,  which  opens  the 
door  to  false  doctrine,  and  to  scandals,  he  powerfully  exhorts 
them  to  humility  in  the  2nd  chapter,  proposing  to  them  the 
admirable  example  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  and,  to  console  them,  he 
promises  very  soon  to  send  Timothy  to  them,  hoping  shortly 
himself  to  follow,  and  excusing  the  delay  of  Epaphroditus,  on. 
account  of  his  illness.     In  the  3rd  chapter  he  attacks  the  false 


18  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  I. 

teachers  among  the  Jews,  opposing  to  the  pretended  utility  of 
their  circumcision  the  fulness  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  their  pride 
and  ostentation  the  advantages  of  his  own  birth  according  to 
the  flesh,  of  his  former  conversation  in  the  profession  of  the 
law,  and  the  holiness  of  his  present  life  ;  warning  them  that 
the  only  object  at  which  we  all  ought  to  strive  is,  that  we  may 
have  part  in  the  death  and  in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Finally,  in  the  last  chapter,  after  having  briefly,  but  ardently, 
exhorted  them  to  a  persevering  and  earnest  pursuit  after  sanc- 
tification, he  thanks  them  for  their  charity,  and  finishes,  as 
usual,  by  prayers  for  their  welfare,  and  by  the  remembrances 
of  the  believers  who  were  at  Rome.  This,  dear  brethren,  is 
the  occasion  and  subject  of  this  Epistle.  May  God,  who  in- 
spired his  apostle  to  write  it,  give  us  grace,  to  me  to  explain 
it,  and  to  you  to  hear  it,  honestly,  and  in  a  christian-like  spirit, 
to  the  glory  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  and  to  our  com- 
mon joy  and  edification.     Amen. 

Upon  the  present  occasion,  in  order  that  I  may  give  you  a 
distinct  understanding  of  the  verses  which  you  have  heard,  I 
shall,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  consider  three  points  in  them  : 
First,  the  inscription,  or  address,  of  the  Epistle,  contained  in 
the  first  two  verses.  Secondly,  The  thanksgiving  and  prayers 
of  Paul  to  God  for  the  Philippians,  in  the  three  following 
verses.  And  finally,  The  assurance  that  he  felt  of  their  fu- 
ture perseverance  ;  this  he  sets  forth  in  the  last  verse  of  our 
text. 

1.  The  inscription  of  the  Epistle,  the  first  of  these  three 
points,  is  contained  in  these  words;  "Paul  and  Timotheus,  the 
servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  all  the  saints  in  Christ  Jesus  which 
are  at  Philippi,  with  the  bishops  and  deacons  :"  to  which  I 
shall  join  the  following  salutation,  usual  in  the  Epistles  of  this 
apostle  ;  "  Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace,  from  God  our  Father, 
and  from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Paul,  the  author  of  this 
Epistle,  is  so  well  known  to  you,  that  it  is  not  necessary  that 
I  should  stop  to  describe  him  ;  besides  which,  we  shall  here- 
after have  occasion  on  the  third  chapter  to  speak  of  the  prin- 
cipal circumstances  of  his  condition,  both  before  and  after  his 
conversion.  He  does  not  here  mention  his  quality  of  apostle, 
which  shines  in  the  titles  of  the  greater  number  of  his  other 
Epistles,  and  in  my  opinion  for  two  reasons  :  first,  because  his 
dignity  was  well  known  to  the  Philippians  to  whom  he  wrote  ; 
secondly,  because  he  associates  himself  with  Timothy  in  this 
place,  and  wrote  not  only  in  his  own  name,  but  in  that  of  this 
disciple  also,  to  whom  the  quality  of  apostle  did  not  belong. 
He  therefore  assumes  a  title  which  was  common  to  them  both, 
viz.,  that  of  "  servants  of  Jesus  Christ."  It  is  true,  that  in  a 
certain  sense  this  title  belongs  to  all  christians,  inasmuch  as  it 
signifies  generally  the  subjects  of  the  Lord,  who  owe  him,  and 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  17 

vield  to  him,  an  absolute  subjection.  For  as  lie  lias  not  only 
created  us,  but  has  moreover  redeemed  us  with  his  blood,  it  is 
clear  that  we  are  his  subjects  by  a  double  right.  But  I  am 
of  opinion  that  Paul  here  uses  the  word  "  servants  "  in  another 
sense,  meaning  the  ministers  and  officers  of  Jesus  Christ,  whom 
he  has  established  in  a  certain  charge  over  his  flocks,  to  govern 
and  to  feed  them,  in  the  same  way  as  Moses,  Aaron,  Samuel, 
and  many  others,  are  usually  called  servants  of  God,  in  the 
ancient  scriptures,  by  reason  of  the  offices  which  they  exer- 
cised in  Israel.  In  this  sense,  the  word  "  servant  of  Christ  "  is 
rather  a  name  of  dignity  than  of  subjection,  and  is  employed 
to  recommend  and  extol  the  quality  of  those  to  whom  it  is 
given,  rather  than  for  the  purpose  of  abasing  them,  and  re- 
ducing them  to  an  equality  with  others,  and  only  belongs  to 
those  who  exercise  some  authority  in  the  church  :  such  were 
Paul  and  Timothy  ;  the  first,  the  apostle  of  the  Lord,  which  is 
the  highest  dignity  in  the  church;  the  latter,  evangelist  and 
prophet,  which  was  the  second  after  the  apostleship.  He  ad- 
dresses his  Epistle  generally  to  the  whole  body  of  the  church 
at  Philippi,  and  then  particularly  to  those  who  guided  it,  who 
have  since  been  called  "  the  clergy,"  to  distinguish  them  from 
the  people. 

He  calls  the  former  "  all  the  saints  which  are  at  Philippi  ;" 
that  is  to  say,  all  the  faithful.  For  you  know  that,  in  the 
style  of  the  apostles,  the  name  of  saint  is  given  generally,  to 
all  true  christians  :  in  the  first  place,  because  God  has  separated 
them  from  other  men  by  his  calling,  thus  drawing  them  into 
communion  with  his  Son  ;  and  secondly,  because  he  has  puri- 
fied them  by  the  power  of  his  Spirit  from  the  filth  of  their 
sins,  giving  them  love  and  other  christian  virtues,  in  which 
true  holiness  consists  :  thus  you  see  how  entirely  contrary  to 
sense,  and  to  the  doctrine  of  the  apostles,  is  the  opinion  of 
those  who  reckon  among  the  true  members  of  the  church,  the 
wicked  and  the  worldly-minded,  who  are  disguised  under  a 
false  profession  of  Christianity.  But  as  St.  Paul  addresses 
this  Epistle  to  all  the  faithful  at  Philippi,  expressly  distin- 
guishing them  from  the  bishops  and  deacons,  it  thus  appears 
clear  that  his  intention  is,  that  all  true  christians,  whatever 
may  be  their  condition  in  the  church,  should  read  his  divine 
letters  in  opposition  to  the  presumption  of  those  who  deny 
them  to  the  people.  Believers,  enjoy  boldly  the  right  which 
Paul  has  given  you  in  his  writings.  Search  and  study 
them  carefully.  You  are  not  less  the  people  of  the  Lord  than 
were  the  Philippians.  But  learn  also  in  this  place  how  very 
high  is  the  rank  of  christians  which  is  here  given  you.  It 
belongs  alone  to  the  saints.  If  your  conscience  convicts  you 
of  having  no  part  in  so  excellent  a  name,  on  account  of  the 
sinfulness  of  your  life,  with  which  holiness  is  incompatible, 
3 


18  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  I. 

"be  sure  that  neither  are  you  christians;  and  having  day  and 
night  at  heart  this  true  saying  of  the  apostles,  "If  any  man 
have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his,"  Rom.  viii.  9, 
cleanse  yourselves  from  all  the  spots  of  vice,  and  yield  your- 
selves unto  holiness,  allowing  yourselves  to  be  guided  in  all 
your  ways  by  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  its  only 
author. 

As  to  those  who  ruled  over  the  church  of  the  Philippians, 
the  apostle  calls  them  "  bishops  and  deacons  ;"  comprising 
under  the  word  "  bishops  "  all  the  pastors  and  teachers  who 
laboured  in  the  word,  whether  in  teaching,  exhortation,  cate- 
chizing or  consolation  ;  and  under  the  name  of  "  deacons  " 
those  who  had  the  charge  of  the  tables,  and  of  the  poor,  and 
administered  the  consecrated  alms,  according  to  the  distinc- 
tion of  officers  in  the  church  which  the  apostles  had  estab- 
lished in  the  beginning,  as  we  read  in  the  Acts.  It  is  true 
that  at  present,  and  for  many  ages  past,  the  word  "  bishop  "  is 
taken  in  a  different  sense  throusrhout  Christendom,  for  him 
who  presides  over  one  church,  and  over  all  its  clergy,  exerci- 
sing therein  a  special  authority.  But  here  Paul  evidently 
takes  the  word  "bishop"  otherwise.  For  he  puts  many 
bishops  in  one  church,  whereas,  according  to  the  usual  mean- 
ing of  the  word,  it  can  have  but  one.  And  truly  it  is  clear 
from  this  and  from  many  other  passages,  that  in  the  time  of 
the  apostles  the  words  bishop  and  presbyter,  that  is  to  say, 
elder,  signified  one  and  the  same  office,  that  which  we  now 
call  the  holy  ministry  ;  and  it  does  not  appear,  from  any  part 
of  the  New  Testament,  that  in  the  first  century  there  was  any 
other  dignity  in  the  usual  ministry  of  the  church  above  that. 
Jerome  long  ago  made  this  judicious  remark  in  many  parts 
of  his  works,  concluding  that  the  presbyter  and  bishop  are  by 
right  equal,  according  to  the  first  apostolic  institution  ;  and 
that  the  difference  which  there  is  at  present  has  been  since 
established  to  preserve  order  and  unity,  being  consequently 
but  of  arbitrary  and  human,  and  not  of  divine  appointment. 
I  acknowledge  that  in  the  assembly  of  the  ministers  of  each 
church  it  is  needful,  to  avoid  confusion,  that  there  should  be 
one  to  preside.  But  this  prerogative  does  not  prevent  his 
colleagues  or  brethren  from  being  equal  to  him  in  reality,  as 
it  respects  the  authority  of  government. 

And,  in  the  first  place,  let  us  learn  here  in  general  how  dan- 
gerous it  is  to  depart,  however  little,  from  the  discipline  and 
language  of  the  apostles.  For  this  word  "  bishop  "  having 
been  taken  differently  from  what  -they  intended,  and  having 
been  individually  given  to  the  presidents  of  each  college  of 
ministers,  has  made  them  imagine  that  they  were  greater  than 
their  brethren  ;  and  this  first  error  has  produced  an  infinity 
of  others  ;  the  metropolitans  having  by  degrees  encroached 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  19 

upon  the  dignity  of  the  bishops,  as  the  bishops  had  done  on 
that  of  ministers  or  presbyters  ;  and  the  patriarchs  having 
afterwards  elevated  themselves  above  the  metropolitans;  until 
at  last,  by  many  artifices,  and  much  adroitness,  the  Roman  pre- 
late has  drawn  to  himself  all  that  authority  which  the  others 
had  usurped  in  the  church,  and  even  more.  May  so  sad  and 
fatal  an  event  render  us  wise  to  keep  ourselves  constantly  and 
faithfully  to  the  institutions  of  God,  without  attending  to  the 
discourses  of  those  who  so  earnestly  strive  to  make  us  ac- 
knowledge a  pope  in  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Let  us  also  learn,  by  this  example  of  the  church  of  the 
Philippians,  what  and  how  marvellous  was  the  efficacy  of  the 
apostolic  preaching.  For  when  Paul  wrote  this  Epistle  to 
Philippians,  it  was  only  about  nine  or  ten  years  since  he 
had  first  preached  the  gospel  there.  In  this  little  time  faith 
and  piety  had  made  such  progress,  notwithstanding  the  opposi- 
tion and  contradiction  of  the  pagans  and  Jews,  that  there 
was  already  a  church  sufficient  to  occupy  many  bishops  and 
deacons. 

After  this  address,  the  apostle  salutes  them  with  his  usual 
benediction,  "  Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace,  from  God  our 
Father,  and  from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  He  has  good  reason 
in  the  first  place,  to  desire  that  they  may  have  "  grace,"  that 
is  to  say,  the  mercy  and  favour  of  God,  as  it  is  the  only 
source  from  whence  all  kinds  of  blessings  flow  to  us  ;  and 
then  "peace,"  the  precious  fruit  of  grace,  signifying  by  this 
word,  according  to  the  style  of  the  Hebrews,  great  prosperity 
and  happy  success  in  all  things  ;  in  a  word,  felicity,  and  the 
abundance  of  every  good  thing.  And  it  is  from  God  the 
Father  that  he  desires  both  the  one  and  the  other  ;  as  he  is  the 
first  author  of  them,  without  whose  favour  happiness  itself 
would  become  misery  ;  so,  on  the  contrary,  his  love  converts 
misfortunes  themselves  into  blessings.  Thus  his  grace  is  the 
foundation  of  our  happiness  ;  for  if  he  be  propitious  to  us,  it 
is  not  possible  for  us  to  be  unhappy  ;  and  his  peace  is  the 
very  substance  of  our  happiness.  He  calls  himself  "our 
Father,"  to  show  that  what  he  desires  for  us  are  truly  the 
favours  and  grace  of  God,  in  which  our  adoption  consists,  and 
which  alone  render  us  the  children  of  the  Lord.  And  it  is 
for  this  reason  he  adds,  "and  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;" 
not  only  that  the  Lord  Jesus  is  God  blessed  for  ever  with  the 
Father,  having  all  things  in  common  with  him  by  his  eternal 
generation,  but  also  because  he  has  been  constituted  Mediator 
between  the  Father  and  us,  in  such  a  way  that  we  receive  no 
grace  from  him  but  through  the  medium  of  his  Son.  For  by 
his  death  he  has  opened  that  supreme  source  of  blessing 
which  was  sealed  and  closed  up  by  his  justice,  and  of  which 
the  cross  of  Christ  has  removed  the  seals.     He  has  received 


20  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  I. 

from  thence  all  the  fulness  of  the  Father's  blessings,  to  the  end, 
that  from  thence,  as  from  a  common  reservoir,  they  should 
be  derived,  and  distributed  to  each  believer  in  a  suitable 
measure. 

II.  After  this  title  and  blessing,  the  apostle  thus  com- 
mences his  Epistle:  "I  thank  my  God  upon  every  remem- 
brance of  you,  always  in  every  prayer  of  mine  for  you  all 
making  request  with  joy,  for  your  fellowship  in  the  gospel 
from  the  first  day  until  now."  Masters  of  the  art  of  elocution 
teach  us  that  the  business  of  the  exordium  (that  is  to  say,  the 
beginning  of  our  discourse)  is  to  gain  the  good  will  of  those 
to  whom  we  speak.  In  fact,  as  hatred,  dislike,  and  indiffer- 
ence close  the  entrance  into  men's  hearts,  it  is  necessary,  when 
we  desire  to  persuade  them,  that  first  of  all  we  should  prepare 
their  minds,  and  fill  them  with  a  favourable  prepossession  in 
our  favour,  so  that  our  arguments  may  be  received  into  their 
understandings.  To  this  end  the  apostle  labours  in  this  and 
the  following  verses  to  the  12th. 

To  revive  and  rekindle  the  good-will  of  his  Philippian  con- 
verts towards  him,  and  by  this  means  to  render  them  more  at- 
tentive and  teachable,  he  tells  them  of  his  ardent  affection  for 
them  ;  he  praises  them,  and  declares  the  high  opinion  he  enter- 
tains of  them  and  of  their  piety,  so  much  so  that,  beyond  the 
past  and  the  present,  to  which  he  bears  the  most  honourable 
testimony,  he  even  assures  himself  of  their  constancy  for  the 
future,  which  is  the  most  excellent  degree  of  virtue,  and,  as  it 
were,  its  last  and  supreme  perfection.  He  then  testifies  to 
them  at  once  both  the  satisfaction  that  he  received  from  their 
piety,  and  the  love  that  he  felt  for  them,  by  the  continual 
thanksgivings  and  prayers  which  he  offered  to  God  in  their 
behalf,  in  that  they  had  so  quickly  and  firmly  embraced  the 
gospel  of  his  Son.  This  is  the  summary  of  the  second  part  of 
our  text.  As  to  the  thanksgivings  that  he  offered  for  them,  he 
speaks  of  them  in  these  words,  "  I  thank  my  God  upon  every 
remembrance  of  you  for  your  fellowship  in  the  gospel  from  the 
first  day  until  now."  For  we  ought  to  join  these  verses  to 
one  another,  leaving  out  the  one  which  is  between  the  two. 
Instead  of,  as  we  have  translated  the  words,  "  every  time  that 
I  make  mention  of  you,"  it  is  word  for  word  in  the  original,  "  in 
every  remembrance  or  mention  of  you;"  which  some  interpret, 
"with  an  entire  and  perfect  remembrance  of  you;"  as  if  he 
would  say,  having  you  continually  in  my  memory.  And  in 
this  way  the  apostle  protests  to  them  the  remembrance  that  he 
has  of  them,  having  them  deeply  graven  on  his  memory,  and 
having  them  always  before  his  eyes  and  in  his  mind  ;  as  we  are 
accustomed  to  feel  towards  persons  whom  we  tenderly  love, 
nothing  having  power  to  efface  their  image  or  their  name  from 
our  recollections.      Though  this   interpretation   may  be  just 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  21 

and  warrantable,  yet  I  do  not  think  it  should  be  adopted  to 
the  prejudice  of  the  other,  which  our  Bibles  have  followed, 
which  is  in  truth  the  commonest  and  the  easiest.  "I  give 
thanks  to  God  upon  every  remembrance  of  you."  As  if  he 
would  say,  that  he  never  thought  of  them,  but  immediately  he 
presented  thanksgivings  to  the  Lord.  In  which  he  shows  us 
at  once  the  happiness  of  the  Philippians,  his  piety  towards 
God,  and  his  love  for  them.  Their  happiness  ;  for  what  and 
how  excellent  must  have  been  the  condition  of  these  believers, 
who  supplied  the  apostle  with  a  continual  source  of  satisfac- 
tion !  who  were  never  recollected  by  him  without  obliging 
him  to  thank  God,  placing  before  his  eyes  nothing  but  victory 
and  triumph,  causes  of  rejoicing  and  thanksgiving  !  But  in 
that  even  he  manifests  his  piety,  for  one  of  his  chief  feelings  is 
to  praise  God,  and  to  thank  him  for  all  the  gifts  that  he  be- 
stows upon  men.  A  mean  and  malignant  spirit  is  vexed  when 
God  communicates  his  favours  to  others,  and  instead  of  offer- 
ing him  thanks,  makes  him  complaints  and  reproaches.  But 
a  truly  pious  heart  never  anywhere  sees  the  favours  of  its  Lord 
without  rejoicing,  and  blessing  him  for  them.  He  is  very  hap- 
py that  the  favours  which  he  has  received  should  become 
common  ;  and  the  scripture  particularly  mentions  the  good- 
ness and  generosity  of  Moses,  in  that  he  wished  that  all  the 
Lord's  people  should  prophesy.  Believers,  let  us  have  this 
same  affection,  let  us  drive  from  our  hearts  all  envy  and  mal- 
ice. Let  us  rejoice  in  the  favours  which  God  bestows  on  men. 
Let  us  never  think  of  them  without  thanking  him  for  them. 
Besides  his  glory,  the  love  that  we  owe  to  each  other  would 
oblige  us  to  do  so;  and  that  which  the  apostle  bore  to  the 
Philippians  appears  clearly  in  this  duty,  which  he  yielded  to 
God  for  them.  For  if  he  had  not  ardently  loved  them,  he 
would  not  have  been  so  careful  thus  to  thank  the  Lord  for 
their  prosperity  every  time  that  he  thought  of  them. 

He  calls  him  "  his  God,"  as  well  for  the  remarkable  provi- 
dence that  he  continually  displayed  for  him  in  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ,  as  for  the  service  that  the  apostle  yielded  him  in  his 
spirit,  and  for  the  lively  feeling  that  he  had  of  both.  For 
though  he  be  the  God  of  all  the  faithful  in  common,  every  one 
of  them  in  particular  who  would  express  the  sentiments  of  his 
love,  and  the  emotions  of  his  zeal,  may  rightfully  call  him  his 
God.  As  we  read  that  Thomas,  in  the  rapturous  joy  which  he 
felt  when  he  positively  recognized  the  Lord  Jesus  through  his 
rich  grace,  expressed  his  own  emotion  in  suddenly  crying  out, 
"  My  Lord,  and  my  God  !" 

But  let  us  look  at  the  subject  of  these  continual  thanksgiv- 
ings which  Paul  gave  to  God  for  the  Philippians  :  I  thank  my 
God  (says  he)  upon  every  remembrance  of  you,  because  of  your 
fellowship  in  the  gospel,  which  ye  have  shown  from  the  first 


22  AN  EXPOSITION"   OF  [SERM.  I. 

day  until  now."     Some  unite  these  last  words,  "from  the  first 
day  until  now,"  with  the  preceding  ones,  "I  thank  my  God;" 
meaning  that,  from  the  first  day  that  the  apostle  had  preached 
the  gospel  to  the  Philippians,  he  had  always  to  that  moment 
thanked  the  Lord  for  their  faith  and  obedience  ;  and  what  he 
is  about  to  say  to  us  leaves  us  in  no  doubt  that  he  had  done 
so.     But  these  last  words  being  so  distant  from  the  former,  and 
uniting  so  well  with  those  that  are  nearest  to  them,  it  does  not 
appear  to  me  needful  to  separate  them  ;  for  by  making  them, 
relate  to  the  fellowship  which  the  Philippians  had  had  in  the 
gospel,  the  sense  is  easy  and  flowing,  that  from  the  first  day 
that  they  received  the  word  of  God  with  faith,  they  had  con- 
stantly retained  it   hitherto,  without   ever  having  disgraced 
their  first  obedience  through  any  of  the  temptations  to  which 
they  had  been  subjected.     He  praises  them  then  for  two  things  : 
first,  that  they  had  received  the  gospel  ;  and,  secondly,  that 
they  had  persevered  in  its  holy  fellowship  until  then.     "  Fel- 
lowship in  the  gospel,"  is  to  receive  it  and  to  take  part  in  it; 
it  is  to  embrace  with  a  firm  faith  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus, to  unite  in  the  society  of  his  faithful  people,  and  to  enter 
by  this  means  into  the  enjoyment  of  his  favour.     If  you  con- 
sider the    previous  and   original   state   of   the   Philippians, 
plunged  in  the  darkness  of  paganism,  and  living  in  the  fellow- 
ship of  demons,  and  in  the  society  of  idolaters,  you  will  ac- 
knowledge  that    it  was  a  wonderful  miracle  for  them  to   be 
drawn  from  such  a  depth  of  filth,  that  they  might  enter  into 
the  fellowship  of  the  gospel,  receiving  with  alacrity  a  doctrine 
which  was  new  to  them,  and  which  besides  so  violently  op- 
posed their  natural  inclinations,  and  the  sentiments  and  cus- 
toms in  which  they  had  been  educated  ;  that  they  had  not  only 
yielded  a  favourable  hearing  to  this  divine  mystery,  but  that 
they  were  resolved  to  become  its  members,  renouncing  their 
former  belief  and  devotions,  to  submit  themselves  to  the  laws 
of  the  gospel,  and  to  conform  to  so  difficult  and  strict  a  disci- 
pline.    But  it  was  a  still  greater  miracle  that  they  should  con- 
tinue in  it,  and  in  nothing  relax  from  their  original  warmth, 
persevering  constantly  in   the  faith;  neither  allowing  them- 
selves to  be  seduced  by  false  apostles,  nor  to  be  moved  by  the 
sensual  pleasures  of  their  previous  condition,  nor  to  be  shaken 
by  the  promises  of  their  fellow  citizens,  who  doubtless  would 
not  forget  on  such  an  occasion  to  use  every  effort  to  lead  them 
back  again  into  error  ;  nor  finally,  to  be  conquered  by  the  suf- 
ferings of  Paul,  whom  they  saw  excessively  persecuted,  and  as 
it  were  reduced  to  a  continual  death,  for  the  name  of  that  Je- 
sus which  he  had  taught  them.     All  this  touched  them  not. 
They  courageously  retained  the  gospel  which  he  had  given 
them,  and  continued  in   its  fellowship  till  then  ;  a  faith  the 
more   excellent,  as  it  was  so  rare.     For  of  those  pagans  to 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  23 

whom  Paul  preached  the  word  of  life,  how  few  were  there  who 
had  listened  to  it  who  did  not  make  a  mockery  of  its  myster- 
ies, like  those  profane  Athenians  of  whom  Luke  speaks  in  the 
Acts  !  or  who  did  not  suspect  him  of  extravagance,  like  that 
Festus,  who  said  that  his  much  learning  had  made  him  mad  I 
or  that  the  inflexible  severity  of  his  divine  philosophy  did  not 
discourage,  like  that  Felix,  who  sent  him  back  much  alarmed, 
saying  that  he  would  hear  him  another  time  !  or  that  the  truth 
and  wisdom  of  this  heavenly  doctrine  did  not  provoke,  as  the 
Jews,  who  were  mad  with  spite,  and  gnashed  their  teeth  at  the 
preaching  of  Stephen  !  And  of  those  who  approved  the  gospel, 
how  few  were  there  who  had  the  courage  to  enrol  themselves 
under  its  banner,  and  openly  to  give  their  names  to  Jesus 
Christ  !  And  finally,  of  those  who  had  received  the  word  of 
life,  how  many  were  there  whom  the  love  of  this  present  world, 
or  the  fear  of  persecution,  had  driven  back  into  the  world!  It 
is  therefore  with  good  reason,  my  brethren,  that  the  apostle 
here  celebrates  the  faith  and  perseverance  of  the  Philippians. 

But  remark,  I  pray  you,  that  he  gives  thanks  for  it  to  his 
God;  from  which  we  have  two  things  to  learn.  The  first  is, 
that  the  true  subject  of  our  rejoicings  and  thanksgivings  is  the 
fellowship  of  the  gospel.  We  read  that  an  ancient  pagan  phi- 
losopher was  so  delighted  with  having  found  the  truth  of  a 
certain  proposition  in  geometry,  that  out  of  gratitude  for  this 
discovery  he  sacrificed  a  hundred  bulls  to  his  gods.  And  yet, 
notwithstanding,  what  was  this  truth  which  afforded  him  so 
much  satisfaction,  in  comparison  of  that  which  the  great  and 
supreme  God  has  revealed  to  us  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son, 
which  is  not  only  divine  and  heavenly,  sublime,  and  elevated 
above  our  understanding,  not  only  beautiful  and  wonderful  to 
behold,  but  is  also  so  entirely  salutary,  that  with  the  highest 
possible  knowledge  it  brings  us  life,  and  immortality,  and 
eternal  glory  !  It  is  for  this  blessing,  beloved  brethren,  that 
we  must  offer  our  thanksgivings  and  the  "calves  of  our  lips" 
to  the  Lord  ;  and  bless  him,  not  for  what  he  has  given  us  of 
the  earth,  of  gold  or  of  silver,  of  honour  or  of  credit  in  the 
world,  of  light  and  intelligence  in  the  mind,  of  strength  or 
beauty  in  the  body,  all  vain  and  perishable  things,  whatever 
they  may  say  who,  by  a  deplorable  error,  have  made  them  the 
idols  of  their  souls  ;  but  that  we  have  part  in  the  gospel,  and 
in  the  fellowship  of  Jesus  Christ.  That  is  the  true  happiness 
of  man,  and  his  only  jewel;  a  pearl  of  inestimable  price, 
which  alone  is  worth  a  thousand  times  more  than  all  the 
others  put  together.  It  is  for  having  found  it  that  we  ought 
to  prepare,  not  profane  hecatombs,  but  our  spiritual  sacrifices, 
thanking  heaven  for  it,  making  earth  a  sharer  in  it,  and,  like 
the  woman  in  the  gospel  parable,  calling  in  our  neighbours, 
feasting  them  with  it,  and  rejoicing  in  it  writh  them.     The 


24  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  I. 

other  point  that  the  apostle  here  teaches  us  is,  that  God  is  the 
author  of  our  faith  and  piety  ;  that  it  is  he,  as  he  afterwards 
says,  who  works  in  us  with  efficacy  both  to  will  and  to  do, 
according  to  his  good  pleasure.  Otherwise,  why  did  he  give 
him  thanks  for  the  fellowship  of  the  Philippians  in  the  gos- 
pel ?  If  they  owed  this  advantage  to  their  own  free  will,  it 
was  to  himself  that  he  must  give  the  glory.  God  is  too  just 
to  wish  that  his  altar  should  be  adorned  with  the  spoils  of 
another,  and  that  he  should  receive  gratitude  for  blessings 
which  he  has  not  given.  That  his  apostle  gives  him  thanks 
for  the  faith  of  the  Philippians  clearly  shows  that  their  faith 
was  a  gift  of  his  grace,  and  a  fruit  of  his  Spirit,  produced  by 
his  seed,  quickened  and  ripened  by  his  rain  and  light. 

But  besides  this  thanksgiving  which  the  apostle  presented 
on  behalf  of  the  Philippians  for  their  fellowship  in  the  gospel, 
which  they  had  preserved  till  then,  he  lent  them  also  the  as- 
sistance of  his  prayers  :  "I  pray  always  (says  he)  for  you  all, 
in  all  my  prayers."  See,  I  entreat  you,  my  brethren,  how 
admirable  was  the  love  of  this  apostle!  Where  is  the  fa- 
ther that  has  such  an  affection  for  his  children?  He  prays 
for  them,  he  prays  for  them  all,  without  forgetting  a  single 
one.  Whatever  difference  there  might  be  between  them,  or 
however  many,  this  holy  man  embraces  them  all  in  common. 
He  does  not  pray  once  or  twice  alone,  but  always.  Job 
offered  sacrifices  for  his  dear  children  once  a  week  only  ;  this 
apostle  so  loved  his  own,  that  at  all  hours  he  offered  up  his  prayers 
as  victims.  His  love  went  still  further,  it  obliged  him  to  have 
nothing  of  his  own,  but  to  make  them  partakers  in  all  that 
belonged  to  him,  "he  prayed  for  them  in  all  his  prayers."  He 
offered  none  in  which  there  was  not  a  part  for  them.  Oh, 
admirable  and  incomparable  love  !  This  apostle  was  bound 
at  Pome  in  a  painful  chain,  for  a  cause  that  was  hated,  and  for 
which  he  was  to  be  judged  at  the  tribunal  of  Nero,  the  most 
cruel  monster  that  ever  lived  ;  he  was  in  the  claws  of  this 
lion,  and  expected  every  instant  to  be  devoured.  Neverthe- 
less, his  Philippian  converts  were  so  close  to  his  heart,  that 
even  in  this  extremity  he  divides  his  prayers  with  them  ;  he 
makes  none  for  himself  in  which  he  does  not  remember  them. 
The  iron,  the  fire,  death,  the  end  of  this  life,  the  nearness  of 
another,  the  horrors  of  earth,  and  the  delights  of  heaven  ;  the 
fears,  the  hopes,  the  passions,  the  emotions,  and  the  thoughts, 
which  arose  within  him  in  this  situation,  did  not  make  him 
forget  his  Philippian  friends.  He  has  them  at  all  times  before 
his  eyes;  and  however  melancholy  might  be  the  situation  in 
which  he  was  placed,  the  remembrance  of  these  believers  re- 
joiced him  ;  he  prayed  for  them  with  joy.  This  image  was  so 
agreeable  to  him,  that  it  never  entered  into  his  mind,  but  it 
brought  with  it  contentment  and  peace.     From  this,  believers. 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  25 

you  see  the  love  which  pastors  owe  their  flocks,  and  with  what 
care  they  are  bound  to  seek  their  salvation,  not  only  by  the 
preaching  of  the  word,  and  the  assiduous  exercise  of  the  other 
functions  of  their  office,  but  also  by  the  help  of  their  prayers. 
They  should  never  offer  any  in  which  their  sheep  have  not  a 
part,  and  no  business,  accident,  or  danger  can  excuse  them 
from  this  remembrance.  They  ought  rather,  so  to  speak,  to 
forget  themselves,  than  the  souls  which  the  Lord  has  confided 
to  their  charge.  But,  clear  brethren,  if  we  owe  you  our 
prayers,  you  also  owe  us  yours  ;  the  holy  tie  which  unites  us 
rendering  the  necessity  of  this  duty  equal  on  both  sides. 
From  whence  it  appears  how  earnest  we  should  be  in  prayer  ; 
for  if  we  have  no  other  subject  than  this  mutual  help  that  we 
owe  to  one  another,  it  is  enough  to  oblige  us  not  to  pass  an 
hour  without  prayer. 

III.  But  I  return  to  the  apostle,  who,  after  having  declared 
his  love  and  his  cares  for  the  Philippians,  founded  on  the  fer- 
vent piety  which  they  had  hitherto  shown,  adds,  that  as  he 
was  perfectly  satisfied  with  their  conduct  for  the  time  past,  so 
was  he  assured  that  he  should  be  so  in  future,  which  is  the 
highest  testimony  he  could  render  to  their  faith,  and  after 
which  one  cannot  be  astonished  at  his  loving  them  so  ardently; 
for  besides  the  marks  which  they  bore  of  Christ  and  of  his  gos- 
pel, he  saw  reflected  in  them,  by  an  assured  hope,  the  glory  of 
the  world  to  come,  and  the  inseparable  union  of  life,  which  he 
should  one  day  have  with  them  in  the  heavenly  kingdom, 
"  Being  confident  of  this  very  thing,  (says  he,)  that  he  which 
hath  begun  a  good  work  in  you  will  perform  it  until  the  day 
of  Jesus  Christ."  You  know  of  what  good  work  he  speaks. 
It  is  the  work  or  design  of  salvation,  which  begins  here  below 
by  faith,  repentance,  and  sanctification;  that  is  to  say,  the  love 
of  God  and  of  our  neighbour,  and  all  the  duties  dependent 
thereon.  He  calls  it  the  "good  work,"  as  if  he  would  have 
said,  the  good  design,  or  good  undertaking,  supremely,  because 
all  the  other  designs  of  human  life  are  nothing  compared  to 
the  value  of  this.  Either  they  are  crimes,  as  the  plans  of 
avarice,  of  ambition,  and  of  voluptuousness  ;  or  they  are  van- 
ities, or  at  any  rate  things  that  are  useless  after  this  life,  as 
those  of  study,  philosophy,  and  such  like.  But  as  for  piety, 
it  is  truly  the  "  good  work,"  the  chief  work  of  man,  the  happy 
and  salutary  design,  useful  in  this  world,  glorious  in  the  next, 
approved  of  God,  and  profitable  to  men.  This  work,  as  well 
as  others  which  are  of  some  importance,  is  not  finished  at 
once.  It  has  many  different  degrees.  And  as  you  see  that 
man  is  not  formed  in  his  infancy,  but  passes  through  several 
stages,  which  bring  him  gradually  to  perfection  ;  one  polishes 
his  memory,  another  sharpens  his  mind;  this  strengthens  his 
judgment,  and  that  embellishes  his  manners  :  so  is  it  with  the 
4 


26  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  I. 

work  of  piety.  For  this  new  man,  who  must  be  brought  to 
perfection,  can  only  be  so  by  various  degrees.  He  has  his 
infancy  before  he  attains  his  riper  years.  As  in  the  schools 
of  painters,  they  first  draw  the  figures  with  the  pencil,  and 
then  add  the  colouring,  giving  them  at  different  sittings  and 
with  much  labour  the  last  gloss  of  perfection,  which  in  the 
studies  of  those  which  they  adorn  steals  the  senses  of  the  be- 
holders ;  so  in  the  school  of  God,  the  faithful  are  begun,  and 
the  work  sketched,  and  then  they  are  polished  and  finished. 
Here  this  work  is  well  begun,  but  it  can  only  be  finished  in 
heaven.  For  both  our  knowledge  and  our  love  are  always 
mixed  with  some  defect  whilst  we  are  on  earth,  as  Paul  teaches 
us  in  many  places,  and  particularly  in  1  Cor.  xiii.  9,  12,  "For 
now,"  (says  he)  "  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly;  we  know  in 
part,  and  we  prophesy  in  part."  We  are  the  pencil  sketch  of 
the  work  of  God,  to  which  he  daily  adds  some  touch  ;  but  the 
last  finishing  stroke  we  shall  not  receive  till  the  great  day  of 
the  Lord.  This  is  what  the  apostle  here  very  clearly  shows 
us,  in  saying  that  "  the  good  work  begun  in  his  Philippians 
shall  be  finished  in  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ."  Thus  he  usually 
describes  that  happy  day  which  shall  finish  time  and  com- 
mence eternity,  because  the  Lord  Jesus  will  then  appear  from 
the  heavens  in  sovereign  glory,  to  judge  all  men,  giving  to 
each,  without  respect  of  persons,  a  condition  suitable  to  the 
course  of  his  past  life.  For  it  is  the  style  of  the  prophets  to 
call  "  the  day  of  the  Lord  "  that  time  in  which  he  will  execute 
his  great  judgments,  making  to  appear  in  a  more  illustrious 
manner  than  usual  the  justice  and  the  power  of  his  sovereign 
Majesty,  to  the  confusion  of  the  wicked,  and  the  consolation 
of  the  faithful. 

Since  then  the  Lord  Jesus,  constituted  Judge  and  Prince  of 
the  world  by  the  Father,  will  magnificently  exercise  this  office 
at  the  last  day,  all  that  he  has  displayed  of  judgment  in  this 
age  being  nothing  in  comparison  of  what  he  will  do  then,  it  is 
with  good  reason  that  the  apostle  calls  it  "  his  day."  But  here 
arise  two  difficulties,  which  it  is  necessary  to  explain  :  the  first, 
against  what  the  apostle  says,  that  the  good  work  of  salvation 
begun  in  us  here  below  shall  only  be  completed  in  this  day  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  For  you  will  say  to  me,  Will  it  not  be  fin- 
ished sooner?  AVill  not  the  happiness  of  those  who  have  died 
in  the  Lord  be  perfected  before  then  ?  Some,  to  avoid  this  ob- 
jection, take  here  "  the  day  of  the  Lord"  to  be  the  time  at 
which  he  calls  each  of  his  servants  out  of  this  valley  of  tears, 
drawing  them  from  it  by  death,  that  their  souls  may  enjoy  the 
repose  which  he  has  promised  them.  But  this  exposition  does 
not  accord  with  the  style  of  the  holy  apostles,  who  always 
everywhere  understand  the  last  day  of  this  age,  when  the  uni- 
versal judgment  of  all  flesh  will  take  place,  as  "  the  day  of  the 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  27 

Lord  ;"  and  it  does  not  appear  to  me  that  there  is  any  passage 
in  the  New  Testament  where  these  words  can  be  otherwise 
taken,  except  in  Eev.  i.  10,  where  it  appears  that  John,  by  "  the 
day  of  the  Lord,"  means  the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  we 
now  call  Sunday  ;  and  in  the  same  sense  in  Acts  ii.  20,  where 
Peter,  in  the  prophecy  which  he  quotes  from  Joel,  means  by 
"the  great  and  notable  day  of  the  Lord"  his  first  advent,  fol- 
lowed by  the  dreadful  judgments  which  he  executed  against 
the  Jews,  and  not  the  second,  in  which  all  the  people  of  the 
universe  will  be  judged.  Except  these  two  senses,  which  can- 
not be  the  meaning  of  this  text,  I  do  not  remember  that  "the 
day  of  the  Lord"  signifies  any  other  thing  than  the  last  day, 
in  the  books  of  the  New  Testament.  See  1  Cor.  i.  18  ;  v.  5  ; 
2  Cor.  i.  14  ;  Phil.  i.  10  ;  ii.  26  ;  1  Thess.  v.  2  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  2  ; 
Luke  xvii.  24. 

Besides,  no  necessity  obliges  us  to  have  recourse  to  this 
forced  interpretation  ;  the  proposed  difficulty  may  be  explained, 
without  at  all  changing  the  ordinary  signification  of  these 
words.  What  shall  we  say  then  ?  Shall  we  take  part  in  the 
error  of  those  ancient  teachers,  even  now  followed  by  a  great 
number  of  christians  in  the  East,  who  say  that  the  souls  of  the 
faithful,  on  leaving  their  bodies,  are  retained  in  I  know  not 
what  imaginary  places,  without  enjoying  the  sight  of  the  Lord 
and  his  glory,  where  they  cannot  be  received,  as  they  hold, 
until  the  last  day,  and  only  after  being  reinvested  with  their 
bodies.  God  forbid.  For  we  know  that  the  condition  of  our 
souls  shall  be  like  that  of  our  Chief,  whose  spirit,  at  its  depar- 
ture from  the  body,  was  received  into  paradise,  and  carried 
there  with  it  the  soul  of  the  converted  thief.  "  We  know," 
what  the  apostle  teaches  us  elsewhere,  2  Cor.  v.  1,  "  that  if  our 
earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were  dissolved,  we  have  a 
building  of  God,"  that  is  to  say,  "  a  house  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  in  the  heavens  ;"  and,  as  he  teaches  us  afterwards,  that 
if  we  are  absent  from  this  body,  it  is  to  be  with  Christ.  But 
we  will  say,  that  although  the  souls  of  the  faithful,  on  leaving 
this  earth,  are  received  into  heaven,  and  there  enjoy  all  the 
happiness  of  which  they  are  capable  in  that  state,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  sight  and  communion  of  God,  and  of  his  Son  Je- 
sus, nevertheless,  they  have  not  yet  attained  the  last  point  of 
their  perfection  ;  they  are  not  yet  in  the  enjoyment  of  all  they 
have  desired  and  hoped;  and  where  desire  and  hope  are,  there 
must  still  remain  something  to  finish.  Their  body,  their  dear 
half,  lies  in  the  dust,  and  bears  the  disgrace  of  sin,  being  sub- 
ject to  death,  which  is  its  wages  ;  their  brethren,  who  form  a 
considerable  part  of  their  mystical  body,  are  still  engaged  with 
the  enemy,  and  the  confusion  of  this  age  yet  covers  and  shades 
here  below  the  glory  of  their  Christ.  The  day  of  the  Lord 
alone  will  fully  satisfy  their  desires  and  their  hopes.     For  it 


28  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  I. 

will  restore  to  them  both  their  own  bodies  clothed  with  im- 
mortal glory,  and  the  rest  of  their  brethren  complete  in  union, 
and  will  draw  aside  every  veil,  and  will  dissipate  every  vapour, 
which  now  hides  or  obscures  the  light  of  the  divine  majesty  of 
their  Master,  and  will  bring  to  sight  all  the  treasures  of  eter- 
nity. From  whence  it  appears  that  the  progress  of  grace,  and 
the  operation  of  God  in  this  good  work,  will  extend  even  to 
this  last  day,  which  is  precisely  what  the  apostle  means  ;  and 
this  is  the  reason  that  he  and  his  brethren  refer  us  to  this  great 
day,  putting  it  before  our  eyes,  as  the  highest  object  of  our 
hopes,  and  the  absolute  and  entire  accomplishment  of  that  per- 
fection which  we  desire. 

The  other  difficulty  which  presents  itself  in  this  text  is,  how 
Paul  could  be  certain  of  the  perseverance  of  the  Philippians 
until  the  last  day,  seeing  that  in  so  changeable  a  nature,  and  in 
the  midst  of  so  many  snares  and  precipices,  it  seems  as  if  no 
one  could  be  certain  even  of  the  morrow.  To  which  the  reply 
is  easy,  that  neither  is  it  on  the  excellence  of  his  nature,  nor 
on  the  merit  of  his  virtue,  that  the  apostle  founds  his  own  as- 
surance, but  upon  the  goodness  and  power  of  God,  who  does 
not  save  his  own  by  halves,  and  well  knows  how  to  perfect  his 
strength  in  their  weakness.  Seeing  then  the  commencement 
of  his  work,  the  marks,  the  engraving,  and  the  seal  of  his 
Spirit  in  these  believers,  the  apostle  very  reasonably  argues 
that  he  will  finish  his  work. 

In  conclusion,  we  have  three  things  to  remark:  the  first  is, 
That  he  here  attributes  all  the  work  of  salvation  to  God,  say- 
ing expressly  that  it  is  he  who  has  begun,  and  who  will  finish 
it  in  the  day  of  his  Son  ;  so  that  we  cannot  without  impiety 
give  to  another  than  to  him  the  glory  of  any  part  of  salvation, 
nor  of  any  of  the  things  belonging  to  it,  from  the  first  moment 
to  the  last.  It  is  in  vain  that  one  would  draw  any  distinction 
between  the  commencement  and  the  progress  ;  God  is  the  sole 
author  both  of  the  one  and  of  the  other  :  and  as  it  is  by  his  grace 
alone  that  we  have  begun,  so  is  it  also  by  it  that  we  continue. 
The  hand  which  has  given  us  the  first  features  of  the  royal 
image  is  the  same  that  gives  us  also  the  rest  and  the  last  ;  and 
to  divide  this  between  God  and  man,  leaving  him  the  glory  of 
the  first,  and  attributing  what  follows  to  ourselves,  is  as  absurd 
as  if  we  were  to  say,  that  truly  it  is  the  artist  who  first  began 
or  sketched  a  figure,  but  that  finally  it  added  the  rest,  and 
finished  itself.  If  you  acknowledge  that  we  deserve  nothing 
in  commencing,  because  the  beginning  is  a  work  of  the  grace 
of  God,  I  do  not  see  by  what  right  you  pretend  that  we  merit 
any  thing  for  what  follows,  seeing  that  the  apostle  declares  to 
us,  that  the  entire  perfection,  from  the  first  moment  to  the  last, 
is  as  truly  the  work  of  God  as  the  commencement  ;  "  he  has 
begun  (says  he)  the  good  work  in  you,  and  he  will  finish  it  in 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  29 

the  day  of  Christ."  Secondly,  it  must  be  remarked,  That  Paul 
presupposes  here  that  God  finishes  his  work  in  the  day  of 
Christ  in  all  those  in  whom  he  has  commenced  it.  Otherwise 
his  reasoning  would  be  absurd,  and  the  assurance  of  perseve- 
rance which  he  draws  from  it  rash  and  unfounded  ;  for  if  God  for- 
sakes some  of  those  in  whom  he  has  begun  this  good  work, 
without  finishing  them  and  leading  them  to  the  day  of  his 
Son,  that  is  to  say,  into  the  harbour  of  immortality,  who  does 
not  perceive  that  the  argument  of  the  apostle  would  be  useless, 
who,  because  he  saw  the  beginnings  of  the  work  of  God  in 
these  Philippians,  concludes  from  it  that  he  would  finish  it  in 
them,  as  it  evidently  appears,  and  as  he  himself  tells  us  ex- 
pressly in  the  following  verse  ?  Thus  the  discourse  of  the 
apostle  is  good  and  pertinent,  and  unhappy  is  he  who  imagines 
that  there  is  any  thing  incoherent  or  unreasonable  in  the  writ- 
ings of  this  holy  servant  of  God.  Assuredly  we  must  then 
say,  that  it  is  not  possible  that  any  of  the  truly  faithful  should 
perish,  nor  that  any  of  those  in  whom  God  has  commenced  his 
work  should  not  persevere,  until  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
according  to  the  promise  that  he  himself  makes  us  in  John  x. 
28,  29,  that  "  no  man  should  pluck  his  sheep  out  of  his  hand  ;" 
and  to  that  with  which  the  apostle  elsewhere  consoles  the  Co- 
rinthians, and  in  them  all  of  us,  1  Cor.  x.  13,  "God  is  faithful, 
who  will  not  suffer  you  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye  are  able  ; 
but  will  with  the  temptation  also  make  a  way  to  escape,  that 
ye  may  be  able  to  bear  it."  Finally,  the  third  remark  that  I 
have  to  make  on  this  place  is,  That  in  the  application  of  this 
maxim  to  the  Philippians,  Paul  presupposes,  by  a  charitable 
judgment,  founded  on  fair  and  legitimate  appearances,  not  con- 
tradicted by  any  apparent  reason,  that  what  he  saw  in  them 
was  verily  the  work  of  God,  that  is  to  say,  a  true  faith,  and  a 
true  piety,  and  not  a  fiction,  or  a  false  semblance,  or  a  vain 
colouring,  like  that  with  which  the  hypocrite  paints  himself 
outwardly.  lie  presupposes,  I  say,  that  in  them,  and  only 
speaks  of  those  who  were  thus  circumstanced.  If  there  were 
others,  it  is  neither  of  them,  nor  for  them,  that  his  words  are 
intended. 

Thus,  my  brethren,  have  we  explained  the  three  points  which 
we  proposed  to  ourselves  at  the  commencement  of  this  dis- 
course. Assuredly  we  may  say  with  truth,  and  without  flattery, 
that  we  have  reason  to  offer  the  same  thanksgivings  to  God  for 
your  church,  that  Paul  here  gives  for  that  of  the  Philippians. 
She  also  has  received  the  faith  with  readiness  and  joy  ;  she  also 
has  had  her  Lydias,  who  not  only  have  heard  the  heavenly 
word  with  a  heart  opened  by  the  hand  of  God,  who  not  only 
have  lodged  the  saints  and  received  Jesus  Christ  beneath  their 
roof,  but  who  have  even  sealed  the  truth  with  their  blood. 
She  has  also  held  the  fellowship  of  the  gospel,  from  the  first 


30  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  I. 

day  until  now,  persevering  continually  in  this  holy  profession, 
in  spite  of  temptations  of  every  kind,  with  so  much  the  more 
glory,  that  there  is  hardly  a  place  in  the  universe  where  they 
could  be  greater  than  in  the  one  in  which  you  live.  Your 
fathers  here  have  borne  the  iron  and  the  fire,  and  you  in  the 
same  place  have  resisted  the  charms  and  the  seductions  of  the 
world,  which  are  not  less  dangerous  trials.  False  teachers 
have  not  corrupted  you  ;  their  colourings  and  their  illusions 
have  not  dazzled  you;  and  wherever  have  arisen,  whether 
from  within  or  from  without,  those  who  would  wish  to  per- 
suade you  to  be  other  than  evangelical,  you  have  generously 
despised  their  sensual  counsels.  You  have  hitherto  preserved 
the  gospel  pure  and  entire,  and  have  not  been  induced  to  mix  with 
it  any  human  tradition.  After  so  many  different  assaults,  and 
such  trying  seasons,  you  are  still  standing  by  the  grace  of  the 
Lord.  And  I  dare  add,  with  the  apostle,  that  he  who  has  be- 
gun this  good  work  in  you,  will  perfect  it  till  the  day  of  Jesus 
Christ.  It  is  not  in  vain  that  he  has  rescued  you  from  so 
many  troubles,  saved  you  from  so  many  shipwrecks,  gathered 
you  together  again  after  so  many  dispersions,  and  preserved 
you  miraculously  amidst  so  much  confusion.  Beloved  breth- 
ren, as  his  benefits  are  conspicuous  on  you,  there  being  very 
few  flocks  in  the  world  on  which  his  protection  and  his  fa- 
vours have  shone  more  magnificently  than  on  you,  may 
your  acknowledgment  also  be  as  remarkable  among  christians. 
Let  your  gratitude  appear,  not  less  than  his  grace.  It  is  not 
enough,  believers,  to  thank  him  in  words,  and  to  say  Amen  to 
the  praises  and  benedictions  which  we  here  solemnly  render 
him  in  our  holy  assemblies.  The  thanks  that  he  expects  from 
you,  and  which  you  truly  owe  him,  are,  that  for  the  grace 
which  he  has  given  you,  you  should  earnestly  desire  his  glory  ; 
that  you  should  walk  in  the  light  with  which  he  illumines 
you  ;  that  you  should  follow  the  guide  which  he  has  given 
you  ;  that  you  should  entertain  an  ardent  love  towards  your 
brethren,  his  servants,  as  he  has  had  an  infinite  love  for  you  ; 
that  your  manners  should  be  conformable  to  his  doctrine  ;  and 
that  your  life  should  not  be  less  evangelical  than  your  faith. 
If  there  are  blemishes  among  you,  efface  them  by  a  deep  re- 
pentance. If  you  perceive  in  yourselves  passions  burning 
which  are  unworthy  of  this  Christ  whom  you  adore,  and  of  this 
gospel  that  you  embrace,  extinguish  them  quickly.  Amend, 
and  sanctify  yourselves.  Purify  your  hearts  from  all  evil  affec- 
tions, and  study  all  sorts  of  christian  virtues.  By  so  doing, 
beloved  brethren,  you  will  advance  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  you 
will  establish  the  consolation  of  your  consciences  before  him, 
you  will  procure  the  salvation  of  your  neighbours,  and  you 
will  increase  our  joy,  and  the  assurance  that  we  take,  that  He 
who  has  begun  this  good  work  in  you  will  perfect  it  in  the 


CHAP.    I.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  31 

day  of  Jesus  Christ.  May  he  himself  accomplish  the  hope 
that  we  have  of  it,  and  hear  the  prayers  that  we  contiriuallv 
present  to  him  to  this  effect.  And  to  him,  with  the  Son,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  only  true  God,  blessed  for  evermore,  be 
all  honour,  praise,  and  glory,  world  without  end.  Amen. 
Preached  at  Charenton,  20th  Nov.  1639. 


SERMON  II. 

VERSE   7 — 11. 


Even  as  it  is  meet  for  me  to  think  this  of  you  all,  because  I  have 
you  in  my  heart  ;  inasmuch  as  both  in  my  bonds,  and  in  the  de- 
fence and  confirmation  of  the  gospel,  ye  all  are  partakers  of  my 
grace.  For  God  is  my  record,  how  greatly  I  long  after  you  all 
in  the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  this  I  pray,  that  your  love 
may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  in  all  judg- 
ment ;  that  ye  may  approve  things  that  are  excellent  ;  that  ye 
may  be  sincere  and  without  offence  till  the  day  of  Christ  ;  being 
filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus  Christ,  ■ 
unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God. 

It  is  an  objection  commonly  made  to  our  doctrine  of  the  im- 
mutable security  of  the  salvation  of  believers,  that,  in  admit- 
ting the  certainty  of  their  perseverance,  we  render  prayer  use- 
less, and  as  unreasonable  as  if  some  one  were  to  pray  God  that 
the  sun  might  go  from  east  to  west,  or  that  rivers  might  flow 
towards  the  sea,  requests  evidently  superfluous,  because  these 
things  happen  necessarily,  it  not  being  possible  that  they  should 
take  another  course.  But  the  apostle,  dear  brethren,  shows  us 
clearly  the  unsoundness  of  this  profane  reasoning  in  many 
other  places  of  his  Epistles,  as  well  as  particularly  in  the  verses 
which  we  have  just  read,  where  you  perceive  that  this  holy  man 
presents  most  ardent  prayers  to  the  Lord  for  these  same  Phil- 
ippians,  of  whose  perseverance  he  had  a  full  persuasion.  After 
having  said  to  them  in  the  foregoing  verses,  "Being  assured 
of  this  very  thing,  that  he  which  hath  begun  a  good  work  in 
you  will  perform  it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ,"  he  does  not 
cease,  notwithstanding,  to  ask  of  God  that  their  "  love  may 
abound  yet  more  and  more,"  and  that  they  "may  be  sincere 
and  without  offence  till  the  day  of  Christ  ;"  an  evident  sign 
that  he  did  not  believe,  as  our  adversaries  do,  that  the  use  of 
prayers  would  be  superfluous,  where  perseverance  was  certain. 
It  is  also  evident  that  our  perseverance  in  faith  and  in  piety 


32  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   II. 

does  not  resemble  that  of  the  stars  and  the  elements  in  the 
movements  and  conditions  of  their  being;  for  they  depend  on 
the  blind  instinct  of  a  secret  and  inflexible  nature,  which  is  en- 
tirely incapable  of  acting  otherwise  than  it  does.  Whereas  the 
perseverance  of  believers  is  a  steadfastness  and  perpetual  con- 
tinuance of  faith,  and  piety,  and  other  like  perfections,  which 
our  souls  neither  receive  nor  preserve,  but  by  the  gift  and  the 
light  of  the  grace  of  God.  From  whence  it  follows,  that  so  far 
from  excluding  prayers,  on  the  contrary,  it  requires,  and  ne- 
cessarily presupposes  them.  In  fact,  you  see  that  those  who 
have  the  fullest  assurance  are  also  the  most  ardent  in  prayer. 
"Who  was  ever  more  certain  of  victory  than  the  Lord  Jesus, 
the  well-beloved  of  the  Father,  the  Prince  of  our  salvation  ? 
and  who  was  more  assiduous  than  himself  in  this  holy  exercise 
of  prayer?  This  Paul,  who,  certain  of  his  salvation,  defies  all 
the  powers  of  earth,  of  heaven,  and  of  hell  to  rob  him  of  his 
crown,  yet  for  all  that  does  not  cease  to  pray  continually  to 
the  Lord,  from  whose  grace  he  waited  for  it  with  so  much  con- 
fidence. O  let  not,  beloved  brethren,  this  sweet  assurance  of 
your  happiness,  which  the  Spirit,  and  the  word  of  your  good 
Master  have  given  you,  render  you  careless  of  acquitting  your- 
selves of  so  useful  and  necessary  a  duty.  And  to  the  end  that 
your  prayers  may  be  acceptable  to  the  Lord,  form  them  after 
the  model  of  these  which  the  apostle  addressed  to  him  for  the 
Philippians.  He  had  before  told  them,  in  general  terms,  that 
he  prayed  to  God  unceasingly  for  them  ;  now  lie  declares  what 
were  his  prayers,  and  specifies  in  particular  what  he  asked  of 
God  for  them.  But  first  he  sets  forth  in  the  7th  verse  the  rea- 
son on  which  he  founded  the  assurance  which  he  felt  of  their 
perseverance  in  the  faith  ;  "  It  is  meet  for  me  to  think  this  of 
you  all,"  (that  is  to  say,  that  God  will  perfect  in  you  the  good 
work  which  he  has  begun,)  "  because  I  have  you  in  my  heart  ; 
inasmuch  as  both  in  my  bonds,  and  in  the  defence  and  confir- 
mation of  the  gospel,  ye  all  are  partakers  of  my  grace."  He 
then  protests  to  them  in  the  following  verse  the  affection  that 
he  bore  them  ;  "  For  God  is  my  record,  how  greatly  I  long  af- 
ter you  all  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ."  And  then  in  the 
three  following  verses  of  our  text  he  tells  them  of  the  prayers 
which  he  presented  to  God  for  them  ;  "  And  this  I  pray,  that 
your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and 
in  all  judgment;  that  ye  may  approve  things  that  are  excel- 
lent ;  that  ye  may  be  sincere  and  without  offence  till  the  day 
of  Christ  ;  being  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which 
are  by  Jesus  Christ,  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God." 
Thus,  by  God's  grace,  we  shall  have  three  points  to  trace  in 
explaining  this  text:  First,  The  reason  of  the  assurance  which 
he  felt  of  the  perseverance  of  the  Philippians;  secondly,  The 
protestation  which  he  makes  of  his  affection  towards  them  ;  and, 
finally,  What  he  asks  of  God  for  them. 


CHAP.   I.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  33 

I.  With  regard  to  the  first  point;  the  part  which  the  be- 
lievers at  Philippi  had  taken  in  the  bonds  of  the  apostle,  per- 
suaded him  that  they  were  truly  the  children  of  God,  and  that 
they  would  persevere  steadily  in  the  way  of  salvation  to  the 
end  ;  and  it  is  necessary  to  remark,  that  he  entertained  so  ex- 
cellent and  honourable  an  opinion  of  their  piety,  not  only 
from  love  or  affection,  which  often  by  an  innocent  illusion  en- 
hances the  perfections  of  those  we  love,  and  makes  them 
appear  to  us  greater  than  they  really  are  ;  but  he  declares  that 
even  equity  and  justice  obliged  him  to  have  so  high  an  opin- 
ion of  them;  "It  is  meet  that  I  should  think  thus  of  you." 
From  whence  it  follows,  that  it  is  our  duty  to  look  on  all 
those  as  children  of  God  in  whom  the  true  marks  of  piety,  that 
is  to  say,  the  works  of  christian  sanctification,  are  conspicuous. 
I  acknowledge  that  it  is  a  silly  and  ridiculous  charity  to  take 
for  believers,  simply  because  they  profess  to  be  so,  those  in 
whose  lives  we  .see  nothing  but  lewdness  and  vice,  without  any 
trace  of  true  virtue.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  most  un- 
charitable and  unjustifiable  error  to  doubt  the  regeneration  of 
those  who  live  in  a  christian-like  manner,  and  to  attribute  the 
correctness  of  their  actions  to  hypocrisy  rather  than  to  piety. 
The  believer,  to  be  prudent,  need  not  be  unkind  and  suspi- 
cious. He  ought  to  receive  with  joy  and  to  reverence  those 
who  wear  the  livery  of  his  Christ,  and  have  the  seal  of  his 
Spirit,  wherever  he  meets  with  them  ;  and  to  embrace  as  his 
own  all  those  who  bear  his  image  in  this  world,  as  persons  who 
will  have  part  in  the  other,  and  with  whom  he  will  one  day 
possess  a  blessed  immortality.  But  among  these  proofs  of  the 
Lord,  which  oblige  us  to  recognize  men  as  his  members,  that 
which  the  apostle  had  seen  in  the  Philippians  is  one  of  the 
most  certain,  and  the  least  capable  of  deception,  namely,  the 
fellowship  that  they  had  with  him  in  his  bonds  ;  which  he  ex- 
presses, as  usual,  with  a  striking  emphasis  and  vigour,  saying, 
"  that  he  had  them  in  his  heart,  participators  with  him  of  his 
grace  in  his  bonds,  and  in  the  defence  and  confirmation  of  the 
gospel."  It  is  true  that  we  ought  carefully  to  remark  all  the 
good  actions  of  believers,  and  to  place  the  proofs  that  they 
have  given  us,  whether  of  their  piety  or  of  their  love,  not  in 
our  memory  alone,  but  also  in  our  heart,  in  the  most  lively 
and  dearest  place  of  our  soul,  and  there  carefully  preserve 
them,  as  so  many  most  excellent  jewels,  to  their  praise,  and  our 
edification.  But,  nevertheless,  in  my  opinion  this  is  not  all 
the  apostle  here  means.  His  words  go  further,  and  signify  not 
only  that  he  has  seen,  or  that  he  remembers,  that  the  Philip- 
pians have  partaken  of  his  sufferings,  but  that  he  rejoices  in 
his  heart  at  their  fellowship  in  his  affliction;  and  that  he  con- 
siders them,  not  as  witnesses  or  spectators,  but  as  companions 
in  his  bonds,  as  laden  with  the  same  chain  with  which  he  was 
5 


34  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   U. 

bound  in  the  prison  of  Rome.     These  believers  were  at  Phil- 
ippi,  in  Macedonia,  and  had  neither  been  accused,  nor  arrested, 
nor  banished  with  the  apostle;   so  that  to  speak  properly  and 
precisely,  and  to  look  only  at  the  effects  and  the  things  them- 
selves, it  is  certain  that  they  were  not  his    companions   in  his 
bonds.     But  to   consider   the  circumstance  otherwise,  in   its 
source,  in  its  causes,  and  in  the  disposition  of  the  minds  of 
the  Philippians,  it  is  not  less  evident  that  they  were  partakers 
of  the  prison  of  the  apostle,  since  they  defended  the  same 
cause,  placed  themselves  on  his  side,  and  were  ready  to  enter 
into  the  same  captivity  ;  since  they  favoured  him  openly,  as- 
sisting him,  and  uniting  themselves  more  than  ever  with  him, 
supporting  his  chain  to  render  it  lighter  to  him,  and  bearing 
a  part  of  it  as  much  by  the  compassion  and  feeling  they  evinced, 
as  by  the  charitable  offices  which  they  rendered  him  while 
in  this  situation.     It  is  exactly  what  the  apostle  means,  when 
he  says  "that  he  has  them  in  his  heart,  partakers  of  his  grace 
with  him  in  his  bonds."     "  What  does  it  signify  (says  he)  that 
I  only  see  Epaphroditus  with  me  in  my  prison  ?     I  have  you 
all  in  my  heart.     If  my  body  is  removed  from  your  sight,  and 
from  your  communion,   my   heart  rejoices    notwithstanding, 
and  feels,  with  great  consolation,  the  share  that  you  take  in 
my  sufferings.     I  possess  you  all  in  this  place,  and  see  you 
here  as  bound  with  my  chain,  and  consecrated  by  my  affliction." 
It  was  not  possible,  my  brethren,  more  magnificently  to  extol 
the  love  of  the  Philippians.     For  he  gives  it  in  some  degree 
the  name,  glory,  and  crown  of  martyrdom,  the  last  and  the 
highest  work  of  christian  piety.     And,  in  truth,  the  zeal  and 
affection  of  these  believers  were  worthy  of  very  great  praise. 
For  it  is  much  not  to  hide  oneself  when  a  christian  is  called 
to  account  for  the  sake  of  the  gospel  ;  it  is  much  when  those 
who  are  in  the  same  place  where  he  is  detained  have  the  cou- 
rage to  remain  there,  without  withdrawing  themselves  from 
the  danger  by  flight  ;   it  is  still  more  when  they  dare  see  and 
strengthen  him,  paying  him  the  attentions  of  love  on  such  an 
occasion.     But  it  is  much  more  than  all  this,  to  seek  after  him 
at  a  distance,  to  traverse  the  sea  to  console  him,  and  not  only 
not  to  fly  away  from  the  place  of  his  prison,  but  to  run  thither, 
and  to  go  many  hundreds  of  leagues  to  declare  themselves  on 
his  side.     This  the  Philippians  had  done,  when,  having  been 
made  acquainted  with  the  detention  of  Paul  at  Rome,  they 
despatched  Epaphroditus  to  visit  and  to  minister  to  him  on 
their   behalf.     Oh,    admirable   and    truly   heroic   generosity  ! 
How  rare  in  the  present  day  are  the  examples  of  such  a  zeal  ! 
It  is  considered  wonderful  not  to  have  abjured  religion  ;   and 
not  to  have  abandoned  the  gospel  is  the  summit  of  our  virtue. 
But  remember,  believers,  that  the  precepts  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  not  the  examples  of  men,  ought  to  mould  our  actions. 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  35 

And  if  we  cannot  present  ourselves  as  examples,  let  us  follow 
these  truly  happy  Philippians,  who  were  so  highly  esteemed 
by  the  holy  apostle  ;  let  us  also  follow  those  primitive  chris- 
tians who  ran  from  all  parts  to  the  tortures  and  to  the  prisons 
of  their  martyrs,  and  assisted  them  with  so  much  activity  and 
liberality,  that  the  pagans  themselves  were  delighted  at  it,  as 
we  learn  from  church  history.  Never  let  us  be  ashamed  of  so 
good  a  cause,  and  let  us  ever  consider  it  a  glory  to  comfort 
and  support  all  who  suffer  in  so  honourable  a  strife.  Let  us 
be  as  interested,  and  feel  as  much  for  them,  as  if  we  were  in 
their  place.  The  example  of  the  Philippians,  and  the  com- 
mand of  the  apostle  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  require 
this  of  us:  "Remember  them  that  are  in  bonds,  as  bound  with 
them  ;  and  them  which  suffer  adversity,  as  being  yourselves 
also  in  the  body."  Heb.  xiii.  3.  This  sort  of  love  is  the 
truest  and  most  genuine  mark  of  piety  that  we  can  show  to 
God  and  men.  It  is  from  it  that  Paul  infers  the  perseverance 
of  these  believers  to  whom  he  writes.  But  conceive  what  a 
value  it  must  bear  in  the  sight  of  God  and  of  his  servants, 
since  the  apostle  gives  it  the  titles  and  praises  of  martyrdom. 
If  you  assist  and  comfort  those  who  suffer  .  for  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  you  are  in  their  hearts,  companions  of  their 
bonds,  partakers  of  their  troubles,  and  of  their  glory.  The 
Lord  will  look  upon  you  as  his  witnesses  and  his  confessors, 
and  will  hold  the  works  of  your  love  as  acceptable,  as  if  you 
were  to  shed  your  own  blood  for  his  name.  It  is  a  martyr- 
dom without  blood,  and  a  confession  without  suffering,  to 
render  such  services  to  the  martyrs  and  confessors  of  the  Lord, 
whenever  the  occasion  may  present  itself. 

And  in  order  that  you  may  not  be  ashamed  of  their  afflic- 
tion, consider  what  the  apostle  says  of  it,  and  by  what  names 
he  calls  it.  "  You  have  been  (says  he)  partakers  of  my  grace 
in  my  bonds,  and  in  the  defence  and  confirmation  of  the  gos- 
pel." First  he  calls  it  "  his  grace,"  and  then  "  the  defence,  or 
excuse,  and  confirmation  of  the  gospel?'  Oh,  how  distant  is 
this  language  from  the  thoughts  and  opinions  of  the  flesh  !  The 
world  looked  upon  this  prison  of  the  apostle  as  a  disgrace,  as 
one  of  the  greatest  disfavours  of  heaven,  and  as  one  of  the 
hardest  blows  of  its  indignation.  Paul,  on  the  contrary,  calls 
it  "grace,"  and  looks  upon  it  as  a  singular  favour  from  God. 
In  truth,  whatever  the  world  may  say,  it  is  a  great  honour  for 
man  to  suffer  for  the  truth  of  God,  to  enter  into  the  lists  for 
him,  and  to  support  the  majesty  of  his  name  at  the  peril  of  his 
life.  On  what  nobler  and  more  glorious  account  could  he  em- 
ploy his  blood  ?  And  if  the  children  of  this  world  look  upon 
it  as  an  honour  to  fight  for  their  princes,  and  bless  the  wounds 
and  the  bruises  which  they  receive  in  their  service,  and  show 
them,  and  boast  of  them,  as  the  dearest  part  of  their  glory,  in 


36  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  II. 

what  rank  should  we  place  the  afflictions  and  the  disgraces 
which  we  endure  for  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  our  only 
Saviour,  and  our  sovereign  Lord?  Is  it  not  honouring  us  to 
choose  us  for  such  an  occasion  ?  Is  it  not  to  testify  that  he 
esteems  our  valour  and  our  fidelity,  to  mark  us  out  for  his 
champions  in  so  great  a  cause?  But  besides  the  honour,  let 
us  not  doubt  that  he  will  overwhelm  those  with  his  divine  re- 
wards, who  have  lawfully  acquitted  themselves  in  so  illustri- 
ous a  duty  :  and  that  for  the  little  breath  or  blood  that  they 
may  have  either  hazarded  or  lost  for  the  love  of  him,  he  will 
crown  them  with  immortal  life  and  glory,  according  to  that 
true  sentence  with  which  in  the  gospel  he  consoles  his  faithful 
ones  in  their  sufferings  :  "  Blessed  are  they  who  are  persecuted 
for  righteousness'  sake:  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Blessed  are  ye,  when  men  shall  revile  you,  and  persecute  you, 
and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against  you  falsely,  for  my 
sake.  Rejoice,  and  be  exceeding  glad  :  for  great  is  your  re- 
ward in  heaven,"  Matt.  v.  10-12. 

The  apostle,  by  calling  his  bonds  "the  defence  and  confirma- 
tion of  the  gospel,"  shows  us  clearly  what  an  honourable  thing 
it  is  to  suffer  for  the  name  of  God.  For  the  Lord  has  never 
made  us  a  present,  either  more  excellent,  or  more  admirable  in 
itself,  or  more  useful,  or  more  efficacious,  whether  for  his 
glory,  or  for  the  salvation  of  men,  than  the  gospel  of  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ.  Now  it  is  to  confirm  us  in  the  truth  of  this 
divine  doctrine  that  God  permits  the  faithful  to  be  persecuted 
by  the  men  of  this  world.  All  the  wounds  that  they  receive, 
every  drop  of  blood  that  they  shed,  in  this  warfare,  are  so 
many  authentic  seals  which  they  publicly  affix  to  the  gospel 
of  their  Master.  It  is  not  that  this  heavenly  truth  needs  the 
voice  or  the  sufferings  of  believers  to  exhibit  its  divinity,  as 
if  it  had  not  light  enough  in  itself;  but  that  which  is  not  neces- 
sary for  it  is  very  useful  for  the  infirmity  of  men,  that  the 
blood,  and  the  faith,  and  the  sufferings  of  the  witnesses  of 
God,  should  arouse  them  from  their  natural  dulness,  and  force 
them  to  consider  with  attention  what  this  marvellous  rule  is 
for  which  they  do  not  hesitate  to  endure  all  that  our  nature 
most  fears.  In  truth,  the  first  and  the  last  ages  of  Christian- 
ity have  seen,  by  experience,  that  nothing  so  powerfully  estab- 
lishes the  gospel  as  the  sufferings  of  the  martyrs;  from 
whence  comes  the  ancient  and  true  saying,  which  calls  their 
blood  "  the  seed  of  the  church."  Thus  let  us  follow  after  Paul, 
assuring  ourselves  that  what  he  then  suffered  at  Rome  served 
greatly  for  the  advancement  of  the  truth.  His  chain  justified 
his  preaching,  there  being  no  reason  why  he  should  have  been 
willing  to  endure  so  long  an  imprisonment,  in  which  he  saw 
himself  daily  in  danger  of  losing  his  life,  if  he  had  not  been 
divinely  assured  of  the  truth  of  this  holy  doctrine.     Christian, 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  37 

if  you  should  ever  be  called  to  such  a  trial,  be  certain  that  the 
Lord  is  willing  to  take  you  for  the  advocate  of  his  cause, 
and  has  committed  to  you  the  defence  of  his  gospel.  God  for- 
bid that  you  should  draw  back,  or  that  you  should  refuse  so 
honourable  an  employment  ;  rather  embrace  it  with  a  firm 
resolution,  taking  good  care  neither  to  betray  by  your  silence 
nor  your  prevarication  so  holy  and  glorious  a  cause.  Give 
courageously  to  God  the  testimony  and  defence  which  he 
demands  from  you. 

II.  But  the  apostle,  after  having  declared  to  the  Philippians 
the  foundation  of  the  great  opinion  which  he  had  of  their 
firmness  and  perseverance  in  their  religion,  to  gain  still  more 
their  good-will  and  attention,  protests  to  them,  in  the  second 
place,  the  affection  that  he  bore  towards  them:  "God  is  my 
witness,  how  greatly  I  long  after  you  all  in  the  bowels  of 
Jesus  Christ."  You  see  with  what  care  he  assures  them  of  his 
good-will  ;  not  only  employing  for  this  purpose  the  authority 
of  his  word,  but  interposing  also  the  witness  of  God,  who 
knows  the  secrets  of  our  hearts,  without  our  being  able  to  hide 
any  thing  from  him.  In  truth,  it  is  of  great  consequence  to 
those  whom  God  has  called  to  teach,  that  the  people  to  whom 
they  minister  should  be  persuaded  of  their  love  towards  them  ; 
it  being  evident  that  the  words  and  actions  of  those  by  whom 
we  think  ourselves  loved  make  quite  a  different  impression  on 
our  minds,  than  the  language  or  example  of  others  to  whom 
we  believe  ourselves  indifferent.  The  name  of  God,  which  he 
here  uses  as  a  witness  of  his  affection,  shows  us,  contrary  to 
the  vexatious  and  unreasonable  superstition  of  some,  both  an- 
cient and  modern,  that  an  oath  is  not  absolutely  forbidden  to 
christians,  and  that  it  may  be  lawfully  employed  for  the 
assurance  of  men,  for  their  edification,  in  a  serious,  grave,  and 
important  cause  ;  such  were  the  occasions  in  which  Paul  uses 
it,  both  in  this  place  and  in  many  others.  For  to  call  God  as 
a  witness  to  the  truth  of  what  we  affirm,  as  Paul  here  does,  is 
neither  more  nor  less  than  a  true  and  lawful  oath.  And  who, 
when  he  thoroughly  considers  it,  does  not  see  that  to  refer 
this  testimony  to  the  Lord  is  not  to  abase  or  offend  his  name, 
but  to  honour  it,  in  attributing  to  him  the  glory  of  an  infinite 
wisdom  and  power,  as  well  to  acknowledge  the  truth  of  what 
we  have  declared,  as  to  punish  our  crime  in  case  we  should  lie. 
Thus  the  apostle  here  calls  God  as  a  witness  of  the  affection 
which  he  had  for  the  Philippians,  as  one  who  saw  to  the  very 
bottom  of  the  feelings  and  all  the  movements  of  his  mind. 

He  says  that  he  longs  for  them,  to  signify  that  he  loves 
them,  according  to  the  style  of  the  Hebrew  language,  which 
thus  changes  the  words,  as  naturally  we  love  that  which  we 
long  for.  But  he  does  not  say  only  that  he  longs  for  them,  or 
that  he  loves  them  ;   he  makes  use  of  a  word  which  signifies 


38  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  II. 

to  long  with  vehemence,  with  an  ardent  passion,  and,  as  we 
have  translated  it,  "to  love  or  to  long  greatly."  I  acknow- 
ledge that  this  great  apostle,  according  to  his  incomparable 
love,  embraced  all  the  churches  of  his  Master  with  a  tender  af- 
fection, and  in  general  every  individual  in  whom  he  saw  the 
faith  of  the  gospel  shine;  notwithstanding  which,  we  must 
not  doubt  but  that  he  had  feelings  of  very  peculiar  affection 
for  these  Philippians,  who,  besides  the  excellent  testimony 
which  they  had  given  of  a  rare  and  extraordinary  piety,  bore 
abundantly  the  marks  of  his  own  hand,  being  in  some  respects 
his  work  and  production,  as  it  was  be  who  had  begotten  them 
in  Jesus  Christ,  and  planted  the  gospel  in  the  midst  of  them, 
as  Luke  relates  at  length  in  the  Acts.  For  it  is  an  emotion 
natural  to  all  men  tenderly  to  love  that  which  they  have  pro- 
duced, as  they  see  appear,  as  it  were,  a  part  of  themselves,  that 
is  to  say,  either  their  blood  or  their  mind.  Hence,  as  one  of 
the  first  of  the  wise  men  of  the  world  has  remarked,*  the 
great  so  much  love  their  creatures,  mothers  their  children,  and 
poets  their  compositions.  As  then  this  church  of  the  Philip- 
pians was  a  fruit  of  the  apostle's  ministry,  which  he  had  brought 
forth  with  many  efforts  and  hard  labour,  and  where  he  still 
saw  afresh  the  traces  of  that  word  which  he  had  preached,  and 
of  that  blood  which  he  had  shed,  to  form  Jesus  Christ  in  this 
people,  it  is  no  wonder  that  he  should  feel  this  ardent  love  for 
them.  But  in  order  that  they  should  not  imagine  there  was 
any  thing  worldly  in  his  affection,  he  adds,  that  he  loves  them 
with  a  cordial  affection  "  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ."  Else- 
where he  had  been  accustomed  to  say  simply  that  he  loved  the 
faithful  in  Jesus  Christ,  to  show  the  source  from  whence  his 
love  flowed,  and  the  end  to  which  it  tended  ;  but  here  he  has 
employed  the  word  "  bowels,"  (for  it  is  word  for  word  with  the 
original,)  "  I  long  after  you  greatly  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus 
Christ,"  to  intimate  that  the  love  which  he  bore  them  was  a 
profound  affection,  imprinted,  on  the  depths  of  his  heart,  and 
like  those  tender  emotions  of  nature  which  are  felt  in  the 
bowels  of  every  good  mother  towards  her  dear  children.  This 
is  the  meaning  usually  attached  to  the  word  "bowels"  by  the 
Hebrews  when  they  use  it  in  this  sense.  But  the  bowels  with 
which  the  apostle  loved  the  Philippians  were  those  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  not  of  the  world  or  the  flesh.  This  love  only  pro- 
ceeded from  the  Lord  Jesus  and  his  cross  ;  it  only  sought  his 
glory,  and  was  regulated  by  his  will.  It  was  neither  their  sa- 
tisfaction, nor  his  convenience,  neither  the  interest  of  their 
flesh,  nor  of  his  own,  that  had  either  lighted  or  supported  this 
holy  passion  in  his  breast,  but  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  alone, 
Christ  only  was  its  cause  and  its  object.     And  this  in  truth, 

*  Aristotle  ia  bis  Murals. 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  39 

dear  brethren,  should  be  the  rule  of  all  the  affections  that  the 
faithful  feel,  whether  for  their  brethren,  their  neighbours,  or 
generally  for  all  other  things,  which  they  ought  to  love  only 
so  much  as  the  interest  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  sovereign  law 
of  their  life,  commands  or  permits.  But  among  all  the  affec- 
tions of  christians,  there  is  not  one  that  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  ought  more  absolutely  to  govern  than  that  of  pastors, 
such  as  Paul  was,  towards  flocks  similar  to  the  church  of  the 
Philippians.  Pastors  ought  only  to  love  or  long  for  their 
people  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  not  for  their  own  profit,  or 
honour,  or  pleasure.  0  God  !  forbid  that  such  shameful  de- 
signs should  soil  so  holy  an  affection.  And  as  the  laws  of  this 
friendship  are  reciprocal,  you  ought  also,  my  brethren,  to  pro- 
portion in  the  same  manner  the  affection  that  you  have  for  the 
servants  of  God  who  labour  amongst  you.  May  nothing  please 
you  in  them  but  the  Lord  Jesus.  Love  them  with  a  sincere 
affection,  whose  whole  foundation  is  in  him  ;  because  they  are 
his  ministers  ;  because  they  preach  him,  and  form  him  in  your 
hearts,  and  plant  him  in  the  minds  of  your  children  ;  and  not 
to  please  your  ears,  or  for  any  other  woi-ldly  consideration. 

III.  After  the  holy  protestation  of  so  ardent  and  so  pure  a 
love,  the  apostle  declares  to  the  Philippians,  in  the  three  fol- 
lowing verses,  the  prayers  which  he  offered  to  God  for  them  ; 
and  this  is  the  last  and  the  longest  part  of  our  text:  "  And  this 
I  pray,  that  your  love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more  in 
knowledge  and  in  all  judgment  ;  that  you  may  try  things  that 
differ  ;  that  ye  may  be  sincere  and  without  offence  till  the  day 
of  Christ  ;  being  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which 
are  by  Jesus  Christ,  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God."  Dear 
brethren,  you  see  four  principal  articles  in  this  prayer  of  the 
apostle,  which  we  must  briefly  examine.  For  he  asks,  first, 
That  their  "  love  may  abound  yet  more  and  more."  Secondly, 
That  they  may  have  "knowledge  and  judgment  to  try  things 
that  differ."  Thirdly,  That  they  may  be  pure  "and  without 
offence,  till  the  day  of  Christ."  And  lastly,  That  they  may  be 
"  filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus 
Christ,  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  God." 

The  first  good  that  he  desires  for  them  is  love  ;  and  with 
good  reason,  for  that  is  the  highest  perfection  of  the  christian  ; 
his  most  necessary  ornament  in  this  world,  and  the  chief  part 
of  his  glory  in  the  next;  the  end  of  the  gospel,  and  the  soul 
of  Christianity  ;  without  which  all  other  virtues  are  of  no  use, 
and  cast  but  a  vain  brilliance  and  a  useless  sound,  "  like  sound- 
ing brass,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal,"  as  the  apostle  elsewhere 
teaches,  1  Cor.  xiii.  But  he  does  not  only  desire  that  the  Phi- 
lippians may  have  love,  he  desires  that  it  may  abound  yet  more 
and  more  in  them.  For  this  virtue,  as  well  as  the  other  parts 
of  Christianity,  has  various  degrees  ;  it  has  its  beginnings,  its 


4:0  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  II. 

progress,  and  its  perfection.  Its  perfection  rnav  also  be  under- 
stood in  two  ways;  either  that  which  is  absolute,  and  which 
we  shall  not  have  till  we  reach  heaven  ;  or  that  which  may  be 
so*  considered  relatively,  with  respect  to  the  present  state,  that 
is  to  say,  the  highest  degree  to  which  this  virtue  can  attain  in 
this  life.  The  Philippians  had  love  already,  and  even  in  a 
considerable  degree,  as  it  appears  by  the  care  they  took  of 
Paul,  and  the  tender  feeling  with  which  they  entered  into  his 
sufferings,  the  infallible  effects  of  an  excellent  love.  But  the 
apostle,  jealous  and  desirous  of  the  accomplishment  of  their 
glory,  supplicates  the  Lord  that  he  would  so  bless  them,  that 
this  divine  virtue  should  not  fade  from  the  state  in  which  he 
saw  it  in  them,  as  happened  to  the  Ephesian  church,  which  is 
accused  in  the  Apocalypse  (chap.  ii.  4)  of  having  left  her  first 
love  ;  but  that  it  should  go  on  increasing  in  breadth  and  length, 
and  spreading  further  and  wider,  both  in  and  out  of  the  church, 
the  sweet  perfume  of  its  fruits. 

The  second  good  which  he  asks  of  God  for  them  is  "  know- 
ledge and  judgment."  On  which  you  ought  to  know  that  it  is 
word  for  word  in  the  original,  "  that  your  love  may  abound 
yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  judgment,"  which  may 
be  interpreted  in  two  ways.  For  first,  the  word  "  in  "  may  be 
taken  for  "by;"  a  manner  of  speaking  drawn  from  the  Hebrew 
language,  and  familiar  to  the  apostle,  and  to  the  other  writers 
of  the  New  Testament,  as  may  be  met  with  in  a  thousand 
places  in  their  books  ;  and  used  thus,  he  wishes  "  that  the  love 
of  the  believers  may  abound  by  knowledge."  Excellent  sense, 
and  a  very  evident  truth  !  for  who  does  not  know  that  love 
springs  from  knowledge,  and  that  we  have  no  more  love  for 
those  things  of  whose  beauty  and  merit  we  are  ignorant,  than 
if  they  had  none  at  all  ?  and  that  piety  especially  we  do  not 
love  but  according  as  we  are  acquainted  with  it  ?  From  whence 
it  follows  that  our  love  will  not  be  perfect  in  all  points,  but  in 
heaven  alone,  where  we  shall  see  face  to  face,  and  not  as  in  a 
glass  darkly,  or  through  a  veil,  as  now.  Secondly,  the  word 
"in"  may  be  taken  as  "  with,"  for  it  has  sometimes  this  signifi- 
cation in  the  sacred  books  ;  and  it  is  thus  translated  in  our 
Bibles,  where  we  read,  "  that  your  love  may  abound  yet  more 
and  more  with  knowledge  and  in  all  judgment;"  and  in  this 
sense  the  apostle  simply  wishes  for  the  Philippians  that  their 
knowledge  may  be  increased,  and  abound  yet  more  and  more, 
as  well  as  their  love.  It  signifies  little  which  of  these  two 
interpretations  you  follow,  as  they  are  both  good,  as  you  see, 
and  conformable  to  the  scripture  ;  while  the  first  seems  a  little 
more  flowing,  and  more  suitable  to  the  style  of  the  apostle,  as 
well  as  to  the  nature  of  the  things  of  which  he  is  speaking. 
However  this  be,  both  the  one  and  the  other  mean  and  presup- 
pose that  believers  have  knowledge  and  judgment.     At  the 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  41 

same  time  it  is  to  be  remarked,  that  the  first  of  these  terms,* 
signifies,  not  in  general,  some  knowledge,  whatever  it  may  be, 
but  a  great  and  clear  knowledge,  when  we  know  a  thing  dis- 
tinctly and  assuredly,  not  weakly  and  doubtfully.  The  other 
term,  which  we  have  translated  "judgment,"  properly  signifies 
sense  or  feeling.  But  as  the  names  of  the  bodily  senses  and 
their  actions,  sight,  hearing,  taste,  and  the  like,  are  often  em- 
ployed to  express  the  faculties  and  spiritual  actions  of  the  soul, 
on  account  of  the  relation  which  subsists  between  these  two 
kinds  of  subjects  ;  so  to  "  feel,"  in  general,  is  often  taken  for 
"  understanding,"  and  sense  and  feeling  for  judgment.  It  is 
very  true,  that  in  this  place  it  appears  the  apostle  wished  to 
express  something  more,  and  by  "  knowledge  "  meant  the  ap- 
prehension of  spiritual  things,  when  we  know  and  comprehend 
what  is  said  to  us  in  the  divine  word  :  thus  by  "  feeling,"  he 
means  the  judgment  that  we  make  of  them,  when,  after  having 
understood  them,  we  discover  what  is  their  nature  and  their 
value.  Besides,  when  he  wishes  us  "all  judgment,"  that  must 
relate  to  the  firmness  and  solidity  of  our  knowledge,  and  not  to 
its  extent  ;  that  is  to  say,  he  intends  that  we  should  have,  not 
a  judgment  in  all  things,  as  if  none  of  the  sciences  were  to  be 
wanting  in  a  christian,  but  a  very  entire  and  decided  know- 
ledge of  what  God  has  designed  to  reveal  to  us  in  his  scrip- 
tures. 

But  the  more  clearly  to  show  us  what  this  knowledge  is  of 
which  he  speaks,  he  adds  the  act  and  the  subject  to  which  it 
properly  relates,  and  in  which  its  use  precisely  consists,  and 
its  end;  "that  you  may  have  knowledge  and  all  judgment, 
that  you  may  try  things  that  differ."f  It  is  the  chief  work  of 
christian  wisdom  to  be  able  to  separate  the  true  from  the  false, 
the  useful  from  the  hurtful,  and,  in  a  word,  the  good  from  the 
evil,  notwithstanding  the  false  and  specious  colours  under 
which  objects  often  present  themselves  to  our  senses  ;  to  reject 
constantly  the  evil,  however  imposing  and  charming  may  be 
the  face  which  it  presents  to  us,  and  always  courageously  to 
retain  the  good,  however  sad  and  frightful  may  be  the  mask 
under  which  it  is  disguised.  The  Jews  boasted  of  having  this 
skill  by  the  light  of  the  law  of  Moses,  which  shone  upon  them. 
"  Thou  knowest"  (said  Paul  to  them)  "  the  will  of  God,  and 
canst  try  things  that  differ,  being  instructed  by  the  law,"  Kom. 
ii.  18.  But  though  their  rule  might  contain  the  first  rudi- 
ments of  the  knowledge  necessary  for  that  discernment,  it  is 
certain  it  did  not  give  so  clear,  so  easy,  and  so  complete  a  rule, 
as  is  given  us  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  here  we 
have  two  remarks  to  make  before  we  proceed  further.     The 


Eiriyvucrjs.  f  French  translation. 


42  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   II. 

first  is,  That  every  christian,  whatever  may  be  his  station  in 
the  church,  should  have  an  assured  and  clear  knowledge  of  the 
truths  necessary  to  his  salvation.  For  Paul  would  not  desire 
for  us  "  knowledge  and  judgment,"  if  these  were  not  qualities 
needful  for  us  as  true  believers.  Add  to  which,  that  since  it  is 
by  knowledge  that  love  abounds  in  us,  every  one  confessing 
that  love  is  necessary  for  us,  must  also  grant  that  knowledge 
is  equally  so.  We  also  find  the  apostle  desiring  that  we 
should  be  capable  of  discerning  things  that  differ,  which  could 
not  be  done  without  the  light  of  knowledge.  From  this  it  ap- 
pears how  false  is  the  idea  of  a  christian  as  given  in  the  Ro- 
mish communion,  where  they  desire  that  he  should  have  a 
faith  which  may  rather  be  defined  by  ignorance  than  by  know- 
ledge ;  where  they  forbid  him,  if  he  be  of  the  laity,  to  read  the 
scripture  ;  where  they  only  arm  him  with  a  faith  which  they 
call  "  implicit,"  which,  without  knowing  the  mysteries  of  the 
apostolic  doctrine,  without  examining  the  ground  of  things, 
and  without  having  any  capacity  to  discern  what  is  contrary 
to  divine  truth,  defers  to  the  judgment  of  others,  blindly  fol- 
lowing men,  and  yielding  into  captivity  his  whole  reason  to 
their  pretended  authority.  Certainly  if  such  were  the  charac- 
ter of  a  true  christian,  Paul  ought  to  have  desired  ignorance 
for  him  as  a  necessary  means  of  being  happy,  whereas,  on  the 
contrary,  he  prays  God,  here  for  the  Philippians,  and  elsewhere 
for  the  Ephesians,  (Eph.  i.  17,  18,)  and  almost  everywhere  for 
other  believers  to  whom  he  writes,  that  their  knowledge  and 
their  judgment  may  abound,  that  the  heavenly  word  may  dwell 
in  them  abundantly,  that  the  eyes  of  their  understanding  may 
be  enlightened,  that  they  may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  their 
calling,  and  what  are  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inheritance 
in  the  saints.  The  other  remark  that  we  have  to  make  is, 
That  the  wisdom  of  the  christian  relates  to  action  ;  for  this  fac- 
ulty of  discerning  things  that  differ,  that  is  to  say,  of  choosing 
the"  good  and  rejecting  the  evil,  which  Paul  here  assigns  as  the 
end  of  our  knowledge,  evidently  belongs  to  the  understanding, 
which  is  called  practical  ;  that  is  to  say,  the  understanding 
which  judges  and  fixes  what  to  do,  and  which  side  to  take  in 
those  things  which  relate  to  our  actions.  From  whence  it  fol- 
lows, that  all  doctrine  which  is  useless  to  the  edification  of  the 
soul,  and  to  sanctification,  has  nothing  in  common  with  Chris- 
tianity. For  God  does  not  feed  us  with  empty  science,  which 
.  serves  but  to  divert  our  mind,  but  with  solid  truth,  calculated 
to  console  our  consciences,  and  to  improve  our  conduct.  From 
which  you  see  what  judgment  we  must  form  of  that  theology 
of  Rome  which  they  call  scholastic,  which  is  nothing  but  a 
bundle  of  thorns,  and  vain  subtleties,  and  frivolous  specula- 
tions, which  no  more  touch  the  heart,  nor  instruct  the  soul  for 
eternal  life,  than  the  demonstrations  of  Euclid  on  Geometry, 
or  those  of  Ptolemy  on  Astrology. 


CHAP.    I.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  43 

But  I  return  to  the  apostle,  who,  after  having  given  credit 
to  the  Philippians  for  an  abundant  love,  and  a  knowledge  ca- 
pable of  trying  things  that  diffei-,  so  as  to  choose  that  which  is 
excellent,  desires  for  them,  in  the  third  place,  "  that  they  may 
be  pure  and  without  offence  till  the  day  of  Christ."  This  is  a 
necessary  consequence  of  his  former  prayers  ;  for  it  is  know- 
ledge that  produces  and  preserves  this  purity  in  us,  not  per- 
mitting the  admixture  of  anything  foreign  or  contrary  to  the 
truth  of  God.  For  it  is  that  which,  as  a  heavenly  beacon,  con- 
ducts and  directs  us  in  our  paths,  and  by  the  aid  of  its  light 
prevents  us  from  stumbling.  The  purity  which  he  requires 
in  us  doubtless  signifies  sincerity,  simplicity,  and  openness  in 
our  conduct,  the  opposite  of  all  fraud  and  obliquity  ;  but  it  re- 
lates also,  I  imagine,  to  faith  and  doctrine,  signifying  the  in- 
tegrity and  clearness  of  a  faith  which  alone  embraces  the  word 
of  God,  without  being  mixed  or  adulterated  with  any  tradi- 
tions or  human  inventions.  For  you  will  see  hereafter  that 
these  believers  to  whom  he  wrote  this  Epistle  were  inclining 
that  way  ;  those  false  teachers  among  the  Jews  who  so  sadly 
troubled  the  christian  church  at  its  commencement,  and  par- 
ticularly corrupted  the  Galatians,  having  also  beguiled  the 
Philippians,  so  as  to  disorder  their  faith  by  mixing  with  it  the 
law  and  Jewish  traditions.  The  apostle  having  this  in  his 
mind,  entreats  the  Lord  particularly  that  he  would  fortify  them 
with  knowledge,  and  a  judgment  capable  of  trying  things  that 
differ,  that  they  might  preserve  to  the  end,  pure  and  entire, 
uncorrupted  by  the  mixture  of  any  strange  doctrine,  that  holy 
faith  which  they  had  received  from  him.  And  to  the  same 
object  must  also  relate  what  he  adds,  "  that  they  may  be  with- 
out offence  ;"  that  is  to  say,  that  they  may  happily  finish  their 
course,  without  turning  from  the  right  way,  and  without 
stumbling.  For  he  who,  having  received  the  gospel,  afterwards 
lends  an  ear  to  error,  is  like  a  man  who,  having  begun  a  jour- 
ney or  a  race,  stops,  or  turns  aside,  having  met  something  on 
his  road  which  prevents  his  going  further.  Paul  makes  use  of 
this  very  comparison,  to  explain  the  fault  of  the  Galatians  : 
"  You  did  run  well  ;  who  hath  hindered  you,  that  you  should 
not  obey  the  truth  ?"  But  though  the  apostle  may  have  had 
this  particularly  in  mind,  yet  he  certainly  comprehends  under 
this  word  "offence"  every  stumbling-block  which  delays,  or  in 
any  measure  troubles,  the  course  of  the  christian  in  the  paths 
of  God,  of  whatsoever  nature  it  be,  whether  in  doctrine  or  con- 
duct. The  Greek  word  of  which  he  makes  use  may  be  under- 
stood, either  of  the  offence  which  is  given  to  others,  or  that 
which  may  be  received  from  them.  From  whence  it  arises 
that  some  interpreters  take  it  in  the  first  sense,  as  if  Paul 
would  say  that  the  Philippians  might  lead  respectable  lives, 
full  of  good  examples,  and  in  which  none,  either  those  within 


44  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   II. 

or  those  without,  should  meet  with  any  stumbling-block,  but 
all  tending  to  edification.  And  it  is  clear  that  he  thus  em- 
ploys this  same  word  in  his  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
chap.  x.  32,  where  he  commands  them  to  be  such  "  that  they 
give  no  offence,  either  to  the  Jews,  or  to  the  Greeks,  or  to  the 
church  of  God."  Others  understand  it  of  an  offence  that  they 
suffer  (if  we  may  so  speak)  when  they  backslide,  or  when  they 
stumble,  permitting  themselves  to  be  conquered  or  overcome 
by  some  temptation.  "  Be  without  offence  ;"  that  is  to  say,  walk 
or  run  in  these  gospel  lists  evenly  and  constantly,  without  stop- 
ping or  turning  through  the  opposition  or  offences  that  you  will 
meet  with  on  your  road.  It  signifies  little,  which  of  these  two 
senses  you  follow,  since  after  all  they  mean  the  same  thing, 
and  the  second  is  comprehended  in  the  first,  no  one  ever  per- 
mitting himself  to  be  overcome  by  some  temptation  of  the 
enemy  without  thereby  giving  occasion  of  scandal  to  his  neigh- 
bours. His  phrase,  "till  the  day  of  Christ,"  shows  us  that  it 
is  not  enough  to  begin  well,  if  we  do  not  persevere  to  the  end. 
How  many  are  there  who  have  made  shipwreck  at  the  entrance 
of  the  port  !  How  many  who  fall  at  the  end  of  their  career, 
having,  for  want  of  two  or  three  steps  only,  lost  the  prize  of 
all  the  race  !  Nevertheless,  we  must  not  subtilize  on  the  apos- 
tle's saying  "  that  we  may  be  without  offence  till  the  day  of 
Christ,"  as  if  he  gave  us  to  understand  that  there  was  always 
some  stumbling  to  fear  for  believers,  even  after  they  have  left 
this  life,  till  the  day  of  judgment.  Paul  speaks  simply  and 
honestly,  and  does  not  mean  anything  but  that  we  should  per- 
severe to  the  end  without  falling,  having  incessantly  before 
our  eyes  the  great  day  of  the  Lord,  so  that,  at  whatever  hour 
it  may  come,  it  may  find  us  neither  lying  down,  nor  cast  down 
by  the  enemy,  but  standing,  watching,  and  pressing  forwards 
towards  the  end  and  prize  of  our  high  calling  ;  much  in  the 
same  manner  as  our  Lord  promised  his  apostles  "  to  be  with 
them  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world,"  Matt,  xxviii.  20  ; 
not  to  signify  that  they  were  always  to  live  upon  the  earth  ; 
but  simply,  that  whilst  they  were  upon  it,  he  would  always  be 
with  them,  so  constantly,  that  even  should  their  lives  endure 
as  long  as  the  world,  never  should  his  presence  be  wanting, 
not  even  to  the  last  moment  of  their  lives. 

There  remains  the  fourth  and  last  article  of  the  prayer  of  the 
apostle  for  the  Philippians,  "  that  they  may  be  filled  with  the 
fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus  Christ,  unto  the 
glory  and  praise  of  God."  It  is  not  enough,  believing  soul,  to 
give  no  offence,  you  must  edify  ;  it  is  not  enough  to  abstain 
from  evil,  you  must  do  good.  As  the  perfection  of  a  good 
tree  is  to  bring  forth  good  fruits,  and  not  simply  tbat  it  should 
not  bear  bad  ;  for  according  to  that,  those  which  bear  no  fruit 
at  all  might  pass  for  good  trees.     Thus  the  praise  of  a  christian 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  45 

is  to  lead  a  life  which  is  not  only  exempt  from  vicious  passions, 
and  the  corruptions  of  sin,  but  which  moreover  abounds  in  all 
kinds  of  virtues  and  good  examples,  which  is  covered  and  en- 
riched by  high  and  holy  acts,  worthy  of  the  great  name  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  by  which  we  are  called.  This  is  why  the  apostle 
is  not  contented  with  beseeching  God  that  he  would  preserve 
the  Philippians  from  offence  and  shame,  he  also  prays  that  he 
would  fill  them  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness.  For  these 
fruits  (as  you  know)  are  nothing  else  than  those  good  and  holy 
works  which  are  commanded  by  the  gospel,  the  beautiful  and 
exquisite  productions  of  thaE  new  and  heavenly  righteousness 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  has  given  us  ;  whether  by  righteousness 
you  understand  that  sweet  and  immortal  gift  of  his  grace,  which 
remits  our  sins,  and  reconciles  us  with  the  Father,  that  is  to 
say,  our  justification,  whose  true  and  legitimate  fruit  is  the 
love  of  God,  of  holiness,  and  of  all  the  works  which  proceed 
from  it  ;  whether  you  take  righteousness  according  to  the  style 
of  the  scriptures,  for  benignity  and  beneficence,  some  of  the 
most  lively  and  fruitful  sources  of  good  works  ;  or  finally, 
whether  you  understand  by  "  righteousness  "  the  practices  of 
holiness,  and  of  the  new  life  which  true  faith  creates  in  us,  and 
which  is  commonly  called  inherent  righteousness,  although  in 
truth  the  word  used  in  this  sense  is  rarely  found  in  the  holy 
scriptures.  The  apostle  adds,  that  "these  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness are  by  Jesus  Christ,"  because  he  is  their  source  and  prin- 
ciple; the  strength  and  virtue  by  which  we  produce  them 
coming  to  us  entirely  from  him.  For,  in  the  first  place,  he  has 
snatched  us  from  the  soil  of  the  world,  or  more  properly  of 
hell,  where,  like  the  plants  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  we  bore 
but  empty  and  useless  fruits,  and  (which  is  still  worse)  those 
which  are  poisonous  and  deadly.  He  has  transplanted  us  from 
thence  into  the  paradise  of  God,  into  his  church  ;  where,  by 
the  efflcac}7'  of  his  blood,  his  word,  and  his  Spirit,  he  hath  shed 
in  us  thoughts,  hopes,  and  affections,  totally  different  from 
those  we  had  formerly,  namely,  contempt  and  hatred  for  the 
world  and  sin,  admiration  and  love  for  heaven  and  holiness. 
All  the  fruits  of  righteousness  which  the  apostle  requires  in 
us  spring  from  that  strength,  and,  as  we  may  say,  from  that 
new  mind,  which  we  only  have  by  the  blessing  and  communion 
of  Jesus  Christ,  drawing  it  from  his  root,  as  his  new  substance, 
since  we  have  been  grafted  into  him,  and  changed  into  his 
nature,  becoming  his  branches  and  his  boughs. 

But  as  Paul  shows  us  its  cause,  he  also  discovers  to  us  its 
effect  and  its  end,  in  the  following  words  :  "  These  fruits  (says 
he)  are  by  Jesus  Christ  to  the  glory  and  praise  of  God."  It  is 
very  true  that  the  believer  ought  to  bring  forth  his  works  to 
this  end,  and  to  propose  to  himself  the  glory  of  God  and  his 
praise,  as  the  object  of  his  actions.     And  it  is  also  true,  that, 


46  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  II. 

for  want  of  this,  the  action,  however  good  and  praiseworthy  it 
may  be  in  itself,  becomes  evil  and  defective,  as  not  being  di- 
rected to  its  true  and  legitimate  end.  But  notwithstanding  this, 
it  is  not  what  the  apostle  means  in  this  place.  It  signifies  dis- 
tinctly the  end  and  success  of  good  works,  and  not  the  design 
of  those  who  perform  them  ;  and  means  that  if  we  are  filled 
with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  in  Jesus  Christ,  God 
will  be  praised  and  glorified  thereby  ;  that  the  thing  shall  turn 
to  his  glory  and  to  his  praise,  according  to  what  the  Lord  said 
to  his  disciples,  "  Let  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they 
may  see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is 
in  heaven."  For  however  corrupted  the  nature  of  man  may 
be,  nevertheless  he  cannot  but  love  and  admire  the  image  of 
virtue  and  holiness,  wherever  it  appears  to  shine  clearly  and 
with  any  lustre.  Let  him  do  what  he  will,  it  dazzles  and 
charms  him.  When,  then,  christians  show  a  life  entirely 
covered  with  these  divine  rays,  full  of  modesty,  humility,  tem- 
perance, love,  kindness,  and  gentleness,  without  fraud,  avarice, 
or  ambition,  we  are  constrained  to  give  God  the  glory  which 
belongs  to  him,  and  to  acknowledge  him  for  what  he  truly  is, 
and  praise  him  as  all-good,  all-wise,  and  all-powerful.  It  was 
thus  that  the  first  christians  converted  the  world  to  their  Lord, 
however  contrary  to  its  intention.  And  although  sufferings 
have  a  great  effect  in  leading  men  to  this  point,  as  we  have 
already  said,  nevertheless,  to  produce  this  effect  they  must  be 
accompanied,  and  as  it  were  crowned,  with  the  fruits  of  right- 
eousness and  holiness,  without  which  they  have  little  or  no 
power  to  change  the  heart  to  piety. 

Such,  beloved  brethren,  is  the  prayer  which  the  apostle  pre- 
sented to  God  for  his  Philippians  ;  in  which  he  teaches  us  that 
the  work  of  our  sanctification  and  of  our  perseverance  in  piety 
depends  upon  his  grace,  and  not  upon  the  strength  of  our  own 
free-will.  For  if  the  Lord  did  not  put  all  these  heavenly 
virtues  into  the  hearts  of  the  faithful,  Paul  would  not  have 
asked  them  from  him  for  them.  Let  us  then  address  ourselves 
to  him,  and,  following  the  example  of  his  servant,  entreat  in- 
cessantly, by  ardent  prayers,  that  he  would  condescend  to  form 
us  to  his  fear,  and  to  work  in  us  by  the  hand  of  his  Spirit  all 
those  things  which  he  commands  of  us  in  his  gospel.  But  if 
we  wish  that  he  should  hear  us,  let  us  pray  as  we  ought, 
watching  and  working,  giving  ourselves  to  the  study  and 
practice  of  his  word.  Let  us  there  seek  first  knowledge  and 
understanding  of  his  saving  truth,  and  carefully  form  and  in- 
struct our  youth  therein  ;  let  us  give  ourselves  no  rest  till  we 
are  capable  of  discerning  things  that  differ,  and  of  guarding 
ourselves  from  the  illusions  of  the  world,  and  from  the  artifices 
with  which  Satan  paints  vice  and  error.  But  let  not  this 
knowledge  remain  idle  in  our  minds;  let  it  display  the  strength 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO    THE   PHILIPPIANS.  47 

of  its  light  in  our  wills  and  affections;  let  it  bring  them  cap- 
tive under  the  yoke  of  Jesus  Christ.     Let  it  root  out  the  love 
of  vice  and  of  this  perishable  world.     Let  it  plant  all  sorts  of 
christian  virtues  ;  and,  above  all,  let  it  make  us  abound  more 
and  more  in  sincere  love,  both  towards  men  in  general,  and 
particularly  towards  our  brethren  ;  a  love  which  pardons  those 
among  us  who  have  offended,  which  helps  those  who  suffer, 
with  our  alms,  those  who  are  in  necessity,  and  with  our  visits 
and  consolations,  those  who  are  sick  ;  with  our  instructions, 
those  who  have  need  of  them,  and  all  with  the  good  example 
of  a  holy  and  innocent  life.   Let  us  not  be  weary  in  so  glorious 
and  profitable  a  work.     Let  us  continue  it  courageously,  pre- 
serving entire  the  deposit  of  the  Lord  Jesus  until  his  great 
day,  without  the  seductions  of  error  being  capable  of  altering 
the  simplicity  and  purity  of  our  faith  ;  without  the  debaucheries 
and  allurements  of  vice  being  able  to  turn  us  from  it,  or  to  be 
stumbling-blocks  in  our  road.   Instead  of  the  vices  and  scandals 
of  which  the  world  is  full,  let  us  only  charge  and  ornament 
our  life  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus 
Christ,  each  of  us  resembling  that  mystical  tree  of  the  psalmist, 
(Psal.  i.  3  ;  xcii.  15,)  which  is  always  green,  and  always  crowned 
with  fruits,  even  in  its  old  age.     Let  us  remember  the  curse 
which  dried  up  the  fig-tree  on  which  Jesus  found  no  fruit,  and 
the  judgment  which  he  pronounces  against  every  tree  which 
bears  none  :  "  It  shall  be  cut  down,  (said  he,)  and  cast  into  the 
fire,"  Matt.  vii.  19.     May  the  fear  of  so  horrible  an  end,  and 
still  more  the  love  of  our  good  Saviour,  render  us  careful  and 
fruitful  in  works  of  piety  and  holiness.     It  is  the  true  method 
of  promoting  our  own  salvation,  of  softening  those  who  are 
without,  of  edifying  those  who  are  within,  of  consoling  the 
church,  of  converting  the  world,  and  (what  ought  to  be  dearer 
to  us  than  the  good  of  our  neighbours,  or  even  our  own  hap- 
piness) of  procuring  praise  and  glory  to  the  great  name  of  our 
God,  who  has  created  us  by  his  power,  and  redeemed  us  by  his 
infinite  mercy.     May  he  himself,  as  he  is  the  sole  author  of  all 
good,  bless  and  powerfully  sanctify  us,  and  give  us  by  his 
goodness  what  his  holy  apostle  formerly  asked  for  the  Philip- 
pians,  an  abounding  love,   an  efficacious  knowledge,  a  right 
and  incorruptible  judgment,  a  constant  purity,  a  perseverance 
without  offence,  and  a  life  full  of  the  fruits  of  the  righteousness 
of  his  Son,  which  are  by  Jesus  Christ,  to  his  glory  and  our 
salvation.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Gharenton,  Sunday,  22nd  Jan.  1640. 


48  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  III. 

SERMON  III. 

VERSE   12 — 18. 

But  I  would  you  should  understand,  brethren,  that  the  things 
which  happened  unto  me  have  fallen  out  rather  unto  the  further- 
ance of  the  gospel:  so  that  my  bonds  in  Christ  are  manifest  in 
all  the  palace,  and  in  all  other  places  ;  and  many  of  the  breth- 
ren in  the  Lord,  waxing  confident  by  my  bonds,  are  much  more 
bold  to  speak  the  ivord  without  fear.  /Some  indeed  preach  Christ 
even  of  envy  and  strife  ;  and  some  also  of  good-ivill:  the  one 
preach  Christ  of  contention,  not  sincerely,  supposing  to  add 
affliction  to  my  bonds  :  but  the  other  of  love,  knowing  that  I  am 
set  for  the  defence  of  the  gospel.  What  then  ?  notwithstanding, 
every  ivay,  whether  in  pretence,  or  in  truth,  Clirist  is  preached: 
and  I  therein  do  rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice. 

Dear  brethren,  among  the  many  things  which  offend  men 
in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  there  is  not  one  which  more  vio- 
lently annoys  them  than  the  cross  imposed  upon  those  who 
embrace  its  profession.  Many,  even  of  those  who  have  heard 
and  received  the  word  with  joy,  have  basely  abandoned  it  as 
soon  as  oppression  or  persecution  has  arisen.  And  the  gen- 
erality of  these  wretched  people  do  not  even  wait  till  the  evil 
is  come  upon  themselves.  They  withdraw  from  the  fellowship 
of  the  Lord  as  soon  as  they  see  it  threatened  with  any  storm. 
They  listen  to  its  ministers  while  they  teach  them  in  peace. 
But  if  the  preaching  draw  persecution  upon  them,  (as  it  often 
happens,)  from  that  time  they  give  up  hearing  them,  and  all 
connection  with  them,  fearful  lest  intercourse  with  them  should 
involve  them  in  their  disgrace.  Though  such  sufferings  are 
not  able  to  overthrow  true  believers,  nevertheless,  at  first  they 
may  be  offended  and  staggered  by  them;  Satan  cunningly 
managing  these  opportunities  to  disgust  them  with  the  faith  as 
an  odious  doctrine,  and  persecuted  by  all  who  are  highest  in 
the  world.  Paul,  fearing  that  his  chain  might  produce  some 
one  of  these  bad  effects  in  the  minds  of  the  Philippians,  his 
dear  disciples,  anticipates  this  objection,  and  represents  to 
them  in  the  text  we  have  read,  the  glorious  consequences  which 
God  had  drawn  from  his  prison  ;  showing  them  that  it  ought 
rather  to  strengthen  than  to  trouble  them,  being  such  by  the 
grace  of  the  Lord,  that  he  and  they  had  more  cause  to  rejoice 
than  to  be  afflicted  for  it,  and  to  glory  in  it  rather  than  be 
ashamed  of  it.  Besides  which,  setting  aside  this  consideration, 
the  love  which  he  bore  them,  and  the  mutual  affection  which 
they  testified  towards  him,  also  obliged  him  to  acquaint  them 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  49 

with  such  happy  news,  so  suitable  for  their  consolation.  For 
in  the  heaviness  which  the  affliction  of  their  good  master 
caused  them,  what  more  delightful  and  agreeable  could  they 
hear  than  the  great  success  of  his  bonds,  than  his  joy  and  his 
triumph  in  this  hard  fight,  and  the  strength  and  courage  that 
his  example  had  given  their  brethren?  It  is  therefore  with 
good  reason,  that  immediately  after  the  preface  to  this  Epistle, 
the  declaration  of  his  affection,  and  of  the  opinion  which  he 
entertained  of  their  virtue,  he  begins  with  such  good  news; 
"Brethren,  I  would  that  ye  should  understand  that  the  things 
which  happened  unto  me  have  fallen  out  rather  unto  the  fur- 
therance of  the  gospel."  And  to  show  them  more  particularly 
how  his  imprisonment  had  served  to  the  propagation  of  Chris- 
tianity, he  adds,  "  that  his  bonds  in  Christ  are  manifest  in  all 
the  palace,  and  in  all  other  places,  and  that  many  of  the  breth- 
ren in  the  Lord,  waxing  confident  by  his  bonds,  are  much 
more  bold  to  speak  the  word  without  fear."  But  as  those  who 
had  taken  occasion  from  his  bonds  to  preach  the  christian  doc- 
trine had  not  all  the  same  intentions  nor  the  same  design  in 
this  holy  work,  to  the  end  that  the  good  and  the  bad  preachers 
should  not  remain  mixed  together,  he  has  made  a  distinction 
between  them  in  the  following  verses,  giving  to  each  the  praise 
or  the  blame  which  they  deserved  in  these  words:  "Some  in- 
deed preach  Christ  even  of  envy  and  strife,  and  some  also  of 
good  will  :  the  one  preach  Christ  of  contention,  not  sincerely, 
supposing  to  add  affliction  to  my  bonds  ;  but  the  other  of 
love,  knowing  that  I  am  set  for  the  defence  of  the  gospel." 
After  which  he  declares  in  the  end,  that  whatever  difference 
there  might  be  between  the  affections  and  the  courage  of  the 
one  and  the  other,  notwithstanding  the  effect  and  the  purpose 
even  to  which  they  applied  themselves,  it  gave  him  much  sat- 
isfaction :  "  What  then  ?  notwithstanding,  every  way,  whether 
in  pretence,  or  in  truth,  Christ  is  preached;  and  I  therein  do 
rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice."  These  are,  as  you  see,  all  the 
parts  of  the  apostle's  discourse  which  you  have  heard,  and, 
that  we  may  clear  up  and  explain  them,  we  will  treat  (if  God 
permit)  in  this  sermon  these  three  points  distinctly,  one  after 
the  other  :  First,  That  the  event  of  the  imprisonment  of  Paul 
was  very  useful  to  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel,  it  being  under- 
stood that  this  was  a  circumstance  which  led  many  persons  to 
preach  the  word  of  God  in  all  the  city  of  Eome.  Secondly,  We 
will  remark  the  difference  which  he  points  out  between  these 
workers  ;  the  one  preaching  from  love  and  with  a  good  will, 
the  others  from  envy  and  contention.  And  finally,  in  the 
third  place,  The  effect  which  their  preaching  produced  with 
respect  to  Paul,  that  he  received  from  it  consolation  and  joy. 

I.  To  begin  with  the  first  point;  the  apostle  tells  the  Philip- 
pians  in  general,  that  the  things  which  had  happened  to  him 
7 


50  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  III. 

had  led  to  a  great  furtherance  of  the  gospel.     Now  there  is  no 
person  but  must  see  that,  by  "  the  things  which  had  happened 
to  him,"  he  meant  the  prison  to  which  he  had  been  conducted 
at  Rome,  in  consequence  of  the  persecution  which  the  Jews 
had  raised  against  him  in  Jerusalem.     Luke  has  given  us  the 
whole  history  of  it  at  length  in  the  book  of  the  Acts,  chap, 
xxi.,  xxvii.,  xxviii.     This  holy  man  was  recognized  in  the 
temple  by  some  Asiatic  Jews,  who  had  seen  him  in  their  own 
country,  preaching  Jesus  Christ  with  admirable  efficacy  and 
zeal  ;  the  people,  excited  by  their  accusations,  rose  seditiously, 
and  having  desperately  seized  him,  would  have  torn  him  in 
pieces,  had  not  the  captain  of  the  citadel,  informed  of  this  tu- 
mult, rescued  him  from  their  hands,  causing  him  to  be  bound 
and  kept  in  the  fortress  till  he  made  himself  acquainted  with 
his  crime.     After  which,  finding  that  the  rage  of  the  Jews 
was  so  violent  against  Paul  that  he  could  scarcely  remain  in 
safety  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  he  sent  him  to  Cesarea,  where 
he  was  consigned  to  the  hands  of  Felix,  a  Roman  officer,  and 
governor  of  the  country,  who,  whatever  knowledge  he  might 
have  of  his  innocence,  detained  him  two  years  in  prison,  until 
he  resigned  his  situation  to  Festus,  who  had  been  sent  from 
Rome  to  succeed  him  in  the  office  of  governor  of  Judea.     He, 
being  desirous  to  gratify  the  Jews,  was  disposed  to  send  Paul 
back  again  to  Jerusalem.     But  the  apostle,  well  knowing  the 
fury  and  the  plots  of  his  nation,  appealed  to  the  emperor; 
and,  in  consequence  of  this   appeal,   was   carried   to   Rome, 
where  he  arrived,  after  having  encountered  many  dangers  by 
sea;   and  being  more  humanely  treated  than  the  other  prison- 
ers, was  permitted  to  dwell  in  his  own  house,  under  the  guard 
of  a  soldier,  with  liberty  to  receive  there  the  attentions  of  hi3 
friends,  and  the  visits  of  all  those  who  wished  either  to  see  or 
converse  with  him.     Such  was  the  situation  of  Paul,  at  the 
time  of  his  writing  this  Epistle.     It  was  this  long  persecution, 
coupled  with  his  present  captivity,  that  he  means  by  "  the 
things  that  had  happened  to  him,"  assuring  us  that  the  whole 
had  rather  served  to  advance  the  gospel  than  otherwise.     I 
shall  not  enlarge  on  what  he  did  in  Judea,  where  his  imprison- 
ment afforded  him  the  opportunity  of  conversing  on  his  doc- 
trine, first  with  Felix,  and  afterwards  with  Festus,  governors 
of  the  country,  and  with  king  Agrippa,  and  Bernice  his  wife, 
the  highest  personages  in  the  country,  whose  consciences  this 
illustrious  prisoner  pungently  touched;  and  if  he  did  not  alto- 
gether convert,  he  at  any  rate  very  much  softened  their  hearts, 
and  drew  from  them  a  testimony  to  his  innocence.    I  shall  not 
say  anything  either  of  the  adventures  of  his  voyage,  in  which 
he  doubtless  made  a  prudent  use  of  every  opportunity  of  being 
of  service,  to  the  glory  of  his  Master,  and  particularly  his 
miracles  in  the  island  of  Malta,  where  his  bonds  did  not  pre- 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  51 

vent  his  making  notable  conquests,  having  gained  there  the 
principal  man  of  the  country,  and  almost  all  the  people  of  the 
island.    I  come  to  that  to  which  he  particularly  calls  our  atten- 
tion, namely,  to  the  success  of  his  imprisonment  in  Rome 
itself.    And  truly  Luke,  his  faithful  companion  in  all  this  voy- 
age, expressly  declares  to  us,  that,  during  the  two  years  he 
remained  in  his  own  lodging,  he  preached  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  taught  the  things  concerning  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
with  all  boldness  of  speech,  without  any  hinderance.     As  he 
never  uselessly  displayed  the  light  of  his  doctrine  and  mira- 
cles, we  cannot  doubt  but  that  this  preaching  was  productive 
of  much  fruit,  converting  some,  confounding  others,  and  stir- 
ring up  all  who  were  skilful  and  inquisitive  in  this  great  city, 
by  the  clearness  which  all  found  in  his  discourses,  spreading 
every  where  the  glory  of  the  gospel.     Thus  you  see  the  chain 
of  Paul  in  no  degree  impeded  or  retarded  this  holy  doctrine, 
against  the  hopes  of  his  enemies,  aud  the  expectation  of  be- 
lievers, and  contrary  to  the  usual  and  natural  appearance  of 
things  themselves.     What!  do  I  say  that   his   imprisonment 
did  not  retard  the  gospel?      It   hastened  and  furthered  its 
course,  as  he  here  declares,  aud  instead  of  restraining  or  weak- 
ening his  preaching,  it  gave  it  greater  extension  and  efficacy 
than  it  ever  had  before.     In  the  first  place,  this  chain  having 
led  him  to  Rome,  placed  him  by  this  means  on  the  greatest  and 
most  convenient  theatre  of  the  world,  where  he  had  the  whole 
universe  assembled  in  one  place,  and  from  whence  he  could, 
in  a  single  day,  speak  to  all  the  human  race,  instruct  the  idol- 
aters, edify  the  Greeks,  teach   the  barbarians,   convince  the 
Jews,  convert  the  humble,  astonish  the  great,  and  in  short  set 
forth  the  wonders  of  his  Christ  to  all  people,  to  all  languages, 
and  to  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men  at  once.     For  Rome 
was  then  the  first  city,  and  the  mistress  of   the  habitable 
globe  ;   the  seat  of  the  greatest  empire  that  ever  existed  ;  the 
abode  of  its  sovereign,  of  the  laws,  and  of  its  highest  tribu- 
nals; the  resort  of  all  nations;   and,  in  a  word,  a  fine  and  ad- 
mirable abridgment  of  the  universe.     It  was  the  heart  of  the 
world,  from  whence  its  manners,  opinions,  doctrines  and  cus- 
toms circulated  into  all  the  provinces,  as  from  a  rich  and  pub- 
lic source.     And  this  was  the  reason  why  Paul  had  so  ar- 
dently desired  to  go  there,  as  he  declares  in  the  beginning  of 
his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  and  even  had  already  planned  a 
journey  thither,  as  we  read  in  the  last  chapter  of  the  same 
Epistle;  well  knowing  that  there  was  no  place  in  the  world 
where  the  gospel  could  be  more  usefully  preached  ;   and  that 
Ephesus,  Corinth,  and  many  other  celebrated  cities  which  he 
had  already  honoured  by  his  preaching,  were  of  little  account 
in  comparison  of  Rome.     Now  that  which  the  plans  of  his 
mind  and  the  circumstances  of  his  life  had  not  yet  enabled 


52  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  III. 

him  to  do,  this  chain,  with  which  he  had  been  bound  in  Jeru- 
salem, fully  procured  him  ;  so  that  if  he  had  formerly  fur- 
thered the  gospel  of  his  Master,  by  publishing  it  in  the  pro- 
vinces of  Syria,  Asia,  and  Greece,  it  is  evident  that  he  now 
furthered  it  still  more. 

But  besides  the  extension  which  this  imprisonment  gave  to 
his  preaching,  it  added  to  it  a  new  degree  of  efficacy.  For 
who  does  not  see  that  the  discourse  of  a  man  who  preaches  in 
bonds  is  much  more  noticed,  and  capable  of  making  an  im- 
pression on  our  hearts,  than  if  at  ease  and  liberty  he  broached 
the  same  doctrines?  His  very  misery  disposes  us  to  listen  to 
him,  and  commends  to  us  the  sentiments  for  which  he  has  had 
the  courage  to  suffer.  We  must  not  then  be  astonished  at 
what  the  apostle  adds,  that  this  very  disgrace  had  been  of  so 
much  use  in  furthering  the  gospel,  "  that  his  bonds  in  Christ 
are  spoken  of  in  all  the  palace,  and  in  all  other  places."  He 
calls  the  prison  in  which  he  was  at  Rome  "his  bonds  in 
Christ,"  because  he  had  only  been  placed  in  it  for  the  name  of 
our  Lord  Jesus,  for  the  profession  he  made  of  that  name,  and 
the  zeal  he  had  for  his  glory,  and  finally,  for  the  faithful  ser- 
vice he  yielded  him  in  this  sacred  ministry  of  the  apostleship, 
with  which  he  had  been  honoured.  By  the  pretorium,  he  cer- 
tainly means  the  palace  of  the  emperor  of  Rome.  And  in- 
deed this  word  is  sometimes  used  by  the  Latin  authors  for  the 
place  where  the  pretor  held  his  audience.  But  the  name  of 
pretor  was  originally  given  by  the  Romans  to  all  their  first 
chief  magistrates,  who  had  and  exercised  the  principal  part 
of  the  public  authority  ;  hence  it  arose  that  in  war,  and  in  the 
camp,  they  named  the  abode  of  the  general  of  the  army,  pre- 
torium,  and  in  the  city,  the  palace  of  the  emperor,  after  the 
Caesars  had  possessed  themselves  of  the  sovereignty  of  the 
Roman  state.  By  the  "  other  places,"  here  distinguished  from 
the  pretorium,  the  apostle  means  the  rest  of  the  city  of  Rome, 
its  houses,  whether  public  or  private,  signifying  that  his  bonds 
were  celebrated  both  in  the  palace  of  the  emperor,  and  in  the 
rest  of  the  town  ;  that  they  were  spoken  of  every  where  ; 
there  was  no  part  of  this  great  city  where  the  name  and  the 
prison  of  Paul  were  not  known.  And  in  truth,  there  had  ar- 
rived at  Rome  a  large  company,  more  than  two  hundred  per- 
sons, who  having  been  witnesses  during  this  voyage  of  the 
innocence  and  holiness  of  his  life,  and  of  his  miracles;  who 
had  been  saved  from  shipwreck  according  to  his  prediction, 
and  by  his  means,  and  had  seen  him  cure  all  sorts  of  diseases 
in  the  island  of  Malta  ;  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  they 
would  not  fail  to  publish  what  they  knew  of  him  to  all  their 
acquaintance,  more  especially  the  captain  who  had  had  charge 
of  him,  to  those  of  the  household  of  the  emperor  ;  so  that  in 
consequence  every  one  would  be  desirous  of  seeing  this  won- 


CHAP.  I.]  THE  EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  53 

derful  prisoner,  who,  on  his  part,  doubtless  did  not  fail  to  take 
advantage  of  so  fine  an  opportunity  of  preaching  to  them  the 
gospel.  To  this  must  still  further  be  added,  that  the  Jews  by 
whose  accusation  he  had  been  made  prisoner,  not  appearing  at 
Rome  to  prosecute  the  suit  which  they  had  brought  against 
him,  it  was  evident  that  the  zeal  of  his  belief  was  alone  the 
cause  of  his  imprisonment.  This  would  but  increase  his 
reputation,  every  one  being  astonished  that  there  could  exist 
a  man  so  much  in  love  with  any  doctrine  as  to  be  willing 
to  suffer  for  it  ;  a  circumstance  quite  extraordinary  among 
the  pagans,  where  the  philosophers  only  recommended  the 
opinions  of  their  sect  by  their  arguments,  and  by  their  con- 
versation, and  not  by  the  sufferings  of  their  persons.  But  the 
manner,  and  even  the  nature,  of  the  apostle's  doctrine,  must 
assuredly  have  also  excited  the  wonder  of  the  Romans,  when 
after  all  they  had  discovered  that  he  only  preached  to  them  the 
faith,  love,  and  service  of  Jesus  Christ.  So  many  words,  so 
many  miracles,  so  much  suffering,  so  much  goodness  and  holi- 
ness, as  they  saw  shining  in  this  person,  were  only  employed 
in  favour  of  a  man,  who  had  formerly  been  crucified  in  Judea, 
even  by  the  very  confession  of  those  who  wished  to  have  him 
worshipped  by  the  world.  These,  and  such-like  considerations, 
rendered  the  bonds  of  Paul  celebrated  in  the  palace  of  the 
emperor,  and  in  all  the  city  of  Rome.  And  although  this 
word,  to  take  it  literally,  only  signifies  that  the  apostle  acquired 
a  great  reputation,  and  that  his  name,  out  of  this  little  lodging 
in  which  he  was  a  prisoner,  was  spread  throughout  the  town, 
and  publicly  spoken  of,  all  this  great  people,  almost  infinite 
in  number,  having  heard  of  it  ;  it  nevertheless  gives  us  to  un- 
derstand that  a  great  many  were  converted  by  his  preaching, 
some  among  the  people,  and  some  in  the  court,  where  Paul 
afterwards  tells  us  that  there  were  believers,  Phil.  iv.  22.  For 
if  there  had  not  been  persons  in  these  places  who  had  favoured 
the  cause  and  the  doctrine  of  the  apostle,  the  glory  of  his  bonds 
could  not  have  entered  there  so  deeply,  or  been  preserved  there 
so  long. 

But  besides  this  admirable  effect  of  his  imprisonment,  he 
tells  us  also  of  another  not  less  strange  in  the  following  verse, 
that  is  to  say,  the  courage  which  it  gave  to  many  christians  to 
preach  the  gospel,  and  boldly  to  announce  that  same  doctrine 
for  which  they  saw  him  suffer  with  so  much  constancy  and 
glory.  "  Many  of  the  brethren  in  the  Lord,"  (says  he,)  "  wax- 
ing confident  by  my  bonds,  are  much  more  bold  to  speak  the 
word  without  fear."  He  calls  believers  "  brethren,"  according 
to  the  usual  style  of  this  first  apostolic  church,  on  account  of 
the  close  communion  there  was  between  them,  having  all  sprung 
from  the  same  Father,  and  been  brought  up  as  one  family  in 
the  hope  of  the  same  inheritance.   But  he  adds,  "  in  the  Lord," 


54  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  III. 

to  show  that  this  relationship  was  according  to  the  Spirit,  and 
not  according  to  the  flesh  ;  founded  in  grace,  and  not  in  nature  ; 
and  derived  from  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  not  from  that 
of  Adam.  By  "  the  word  "  he  means  (as  often  elsewhere)  the 
gospel  of  the  Lord,  the  word  of  life  ;  which  is  simply  called 
"  the  word  "  because  of  its  excellence,  above  not  only  all  human 
doctrines,  but  even  the  law  and  regulations  of  Moses.  He  says 
then  that  many  believers  had  the  courage  to  preach  the  gospel 
boldly  at  Rome,  "  waxing  confident  by  my  bonds."  But  how 
could  thy  bonds,  O  holy  apostle  !  give  such  confidence  to  the 
christians?  How,  instead  of  opening  the  mouths  of  the  mute, 
did  they  not  rather  close  those  of  the  eloquent  ?  How  was  it 
that  they  did  not  rather  intimidate  the  preachers  than  encourage 
them?  This  chain,  with  which  thou  wert  bound  for  having 
only  spoken  for  Christ,  how,  and  by  what  means,  could  it  give 
courage  to  others  to  speak  for  him  ?  To  make  it  produce  such 
an  effect,  is  it  not  as  if  we  would  gather  grapes  from  thorns, 
or,  according  to  the  enigma  of  Samson,  draw  meat  from  the 
eater,  and  sweetness  from  the  strong?  Judg.  xiv.  14.  I  ac- 
knowledge, dear  brethren,  that  the  bonds  of  the  apostle  pro- 
duced not  this  effect  of  themselves.  To  look  at  them  alone, 
and  to  consider  simply  the  power  and  fury  of  the  enemies  of 
the  gospel,  which  appeared  in  them,  they  were  capable  only 
of  disgusting  men  with  so  sad  a  doctrine,  and  of  cooling  the 
warmth  and  the  zeal  of  those  who  approved  it,  by  the  example 
and  fear  of  disgrace  which  it  drew  upon  its  followers.  But  the 
providence  of  God  changed  the  nature  of  these  bonds,  and 
made  them  shine  with  the  marks  of  his  power  and  of  his  love 
towards  his  own,  displaying  in  them  a  strength  of  mind  and  a 
light  of  grace  that  only  served  to  advance  the  glory  of  his 
name,  and  the  virtue  and  consolation  of  his  minister;  for  as 
to  him,  he  did  not  cease  to  evangelize  as  usual  with  a  blessing 
so  manifest,  that  his  preaching  had  never  been  more  successful. 
Believers  observing  this  fine  example,  together  with  the  good- 
ness and  providence  of  the  Lord,  and  the  happiness  of  his 
servants,  were  powerfully  encouraged  to  do  their  duty.  The 
glory  of  the  apostle  awakened  them,  the  visible  help  of  the 
Lord  animated  them,  his  hand  assured  them,  and  the  proof  that 
they  had  before  their  eyes  of  his  truth  and  fidelity  took  away 
those  doubts  and  fears  to  which  we  are  all  so  prone.  They 
looked  upon  the  victory  of  Paul  as  a  pledge  of  their  own,  and, 
full  of  new  fire,  went  courageously  where  God  called  them, 
that  is  to  say,  to  preach  his  word  freely.  But,  believers,  it  is 
not  enough  that  the  bonds  of  the  apostle  should  have  edified 
these  first  christians  of  Rome,  inspiring  them  with  courage  to 
speak  boldly  for  the  gospel.  It  is  not  enough  that  they  should 
console  the  Pbilippians,  to  whom  he  here  mentions  them,  for 
the  purpose  of  softening  the  sorrow  which  they  felt  for  his  suf- 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  55 

ferings,  by  the  consideration  of  the  glory  and  usefulness  which 
would  arise  from  them,  both  to  his  Master  and  to  himself.  We, 
as  well  as  the  ancient  believers,  should  draw  instruction  and 
consolation  for  our  souls  from  these  meditations,  the  subject  of 
which  is  preserved  to  us  in  these  writings  of  the  holy  apostle. 
Let  us  honestly  observe  in  them  the  wonders  of  the  providence 
of  God,  displayed  in  the  government  of  the  church,  and  in  the 
conduct  of  those  things  that  belong  to  it  ;  how,  on  the  one. 
hand,  he  knows  how  to  confound  the  malice  of  his  enemies  ; 
and,  on  the  other,  to  preserve  his  children  from  dangers,  ac- 
complishing his  work  by  the  iniquity  of  the  one,  and  by  the 
infirmity  of  the  others;  so  making  things  bend  by  secret  and 
incomprehensible  springs,  that  they  all  attain  his  object,  how- 
ever weak  they  may  appear,  or  even  contrary  to  it.  Thus  you 
see  in  this  text  that  the  rage  of  the  Jews  and  the  injustice  of 
their  governors,  contrary  to  the  intention  of  persons,  and 
against  the  nature  of  the  things  themselves,  served  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  gospel  of  his  Son.  The  first  only  sought  to 
gratify  their  hatred,  and  the  second  to  satisfy  their  avarice,  or 
their  respect  for  the  authority  of  their  master  ;  and  they  were, 
both  the  one  and  the  other,  but  the  ministers  of  the  counsel  of 
God,  who  conducted  his  apostle  to  the  place  where  it  was 
destined  that  he  should  set  forth  the  wonders  of  his  preaching 
with  more  efficacy  than  ever.  The  soldiers  who  led  him  thither 
were,  truly  speaking,  his  escort,  and  his  bonds  and  his  prison 
the  most  useful  instruments  of  his  glory.  This  theatre  was 
prepared  for  his  punishment,  and  it  became  the  scene  of  his 
triumph.  This  persecution,  which  was  intended  to  cover  him 
with  shame,  overwhelmed  him  with  honour  ;  it  was  to  blacken 
and  wither  his  name,  and  it  rendered  it  illustrious  in  the  first 
city  and  in  the  most  superb  court  in  the  universe.  Oh  !  the 
vanity  of  the  thoughts  of  the  wicked  !  Oh  !  the  admirable 
wisdom  of  the  providence  of  God  !  He  causes  the  Jew  to  open 
the  apostle's  mouth,  when  he  thinks  that  he  is  closing  it,  and 
makes  him  spread  his  voice  throughout  the  world,  in  desiring 
to  banish  him  from  Judea.  He  had  formerly  conducted  Joseph 
to  the  highest  pitch  of  glory  in  the  same  way,  through  the 
fury  of  his  unnatural  brethren.  Persecution,  slavery,  and  im- 
prisonment had  also  been,  as  it  were,  the  ladders  to  his  pros- 
perity. Since  then  he  has  always  in  the  same  waj^  used  them 
in  the  conduct  of  his  people,  overthrowing  the  designs  of  his 
enemies,  and  turning  the  artifices  of  their  malice,  and  the  ex- 
cess of  their  fury,  directly  contrary  to  their  intentions  ;  mul- 
tiplying his  church  by  the  deaths  and  massacres  which  seemed 
likely  to  destroy  it  ;  lighting  his  gospel  by  those  very  means 
which  appeared  likely  to  extinguish  it;  and  drawing  the 
brightest  glory  of  his  servants  from  their  deepest  disgraces. 
This  has  happened  in  the  time  of  our  fathers,  and  in  the  old 


56  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  III. 

times  before  them,  when  the  exiles  and  proscriptions  to  which 
truth  was  shamefully  condemned  spread  instead  of  stopping  it. 
We  have  the  same  remark  to  make  on  what  the  apostle  adds, 
that  his  bonds  had  given  courage  to  the  other  believers.  Sa- 
tan had  loaded  him  with  this  chain  that  it  might  alarm  others, 
and,  behold  !  quite  the  contrary,  it  gives  them  boldness.  This 
iron  encourages  them  instead  of  frightening  them,  and  serves 
but  to  destroy  the  reign  it  was  intended  to  establish.  Be,  then, 
no  longer  astonished,  believers,  if  the  Lord  treat  his  children 
in  this  manner.  Do  not  accuse  his  providence  of  indifference 
or  disorder,  on  pretence  that  he  exposes  his  Josephs  and  his 
Pauls  to  the  persecution  of  their  brethren,  and  suffers  them 
either  to  be  bound,  or  put  in  prison,  or  smitten  by  some  other 
outrage.  All  these  indignities  which  offend  you  are  the  most 
excellent  part  of  his  glory,  and  of  theirs.  It  is  by  those  means 
he  perfects  them.  These  are  the  instruments  of  his  work, 
without  which  they  would  neither  so  easily  nor  so  quickly  ac- 
complish it.  And  if  the  Lord  permit  that  we  ourselves  should 
fall  into  trials  similar  to  those  of  these  great  men,  let  us  con- 
sole ourselves  by  their  example  ;  and  let  us  remember  that  this 
all-wise,  all-good,  and  sovereign  Majesty  which  has  ordered 
their  battles,  presides  still  over  ours,  that  he  consecrates  his 
own  by  affliction,  and  perfects  his  strength  in  their  weakness, 
this  method  of  acting  being  incomparably  more  glorious  for 
him  and  for  us  than  if  he  led  us  by  easy  and  plain  paths  where 
we  met  with  no  difficulty.  Let  us  bless  those  prisons  and 
those  chains  which  advance  the  gospel.  It  is  so  great  a  good 
that  we  cannot  purchase  it  at  too  high  a  price  ;  a  good  which 
comprehends  altogether  the  glory  of  our  God,  the  salvation  of 
our  neighbour,  and  our  own  happiness.  Paul  is  one  of  those 
who  has  the  most  suffered  for  its  furtherance.  But  still  we 
may  say  with  truth,  that  there  are  men  to  whom  the  vanities 
of  the  world  have  cost  as  much  as  this  sovereign  felicity  cost 
him  ;  who  have  run,  and  who  still  run  daily  as  many  dangers, 
and  endure  as  many  evils,  to  be  for  ever  miserable,  as  did  this 
great  apostle,  to  render  himself  and  others  eternally  happy. 
Hardly  do  I  dare  bring  forward  among  the  benefits  which 
ought  to  incite  us  to  these  duties  that  glory  of  which  the 
world  thinks  so  much,  and  with  which  God  crowns  no  men 
here  below  more  pre-eminently  than  his  martyrs  and  confes- 
sors, rendering  their  names  and  their  struggles  illustrious  even 
in  the  palaces  of  the  Neros,  and  forcing  the  courts  of  the  most 
cruel  and  unjust  princes  to  speak  of  them,  and  to  acknowledge 
their  innocence  and  their  magnanimity.  For  this  palace  where 
the  apostle  here  tells  us  that  his  bonds  were  celebrated  was 
the  palace  of  Nero,  the  most  infamous  of  all  tyrants,  the  shame 
and  torment  of  his  age,  the  horror  and  execration  of  all  suc- 
ceeding times.     But  however  abominable  this  monster  might 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  57 

be,  and  however  abandoned  his  court,  the  sink  of  every  vice 
known  among  pagans,  nevertheless,  by  the  blessing  of  the 
Lord,  the  light  of  his  apostle  pierced  into  this  abode  of  ini- 
quity, making  itself  seen  and  felt  ;  showing  that  there  is  no 
place  in  the  world  so  opposed  to  piety  where  God  does  not 
make  the  sweet  odour  of  our  name  to  enter  if  we  serve  him 
zealously.  It  is  this,  my  brethren,  that  the  example  of  the 
apostle  teaches  us. 

But,  I  beseech  you,  let  us  also  imitate  that  of  these  believ- 
ing Komans,  who  were  encouraged  by  his  bonds.  Let  us  not 
be  of  the  number  of  those  cowards  to  whom  the  trials,  either 
of  their  pastors  or  of  their  neighbours,  have  caused  their  hearts 
lamentably  to  fail.  Their  sufferings  ought,  on  the  contrary, 
to  animate  us,  and  their  dangers  to  open  our  mouths.  It  is  a 
feature  of  false  courage  to  abandon  innocence  or  truth  when  it 
is  persecuted.  It  is  of  all  times  that  in  which  a  noble  mind 
would  least  withdraw  itself  from  its  association.  It  would 
then  be  the  time  most  openly  to  declare  for  it,  and  the  most 
firmly  to  defend  its  cause.  And  this  thought,  dear  brethren, 
is  necessary  for  us  in  these  wretched  times,  when  the  sad  and 
calamitous  state  in  which  truth  is  found,  which  is  in  bonds  iu 
many  places  in  Europe,  and  is  no  where  but  half  at  liberty, 
forces  us  to  consecrate  our  mouths  to  it,  and  those  of  our  peo- 
ple, courageously  to  support  its  cause,  boldly  preaching  its 
word  without  fear. 

II.  But  to  understand  fully  the  holiness  and  the  excellence 
of  this  duty,  let  us  proceed  now  to  the  second  part  of  our  text, 
in  which  the  apostle  distinguishes  the  good  workman  from  the 
bad.  "Some  indeed  preach  Christ  even  of  envy  and  strife; 
and  some  also  of  good  will  :  the  one  preach  Christ  of  conten- 
tion, not  sincerely,  supposing  to  add  affliction  to  my  bonds  ; 
but  the  other  of  love,  knowing  that  I  am  set  for  the  defence 
of  the  gospel."  He  divides  into  two  different  classes  those 
persons  who,  from  his  bonds,  had  taken  the  opportunity  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  ;  the  one  with  pure  and  sincere 
affection,  the  other  with  a  wicked  mind  and  an  evil  design. 
Of  the  former  he  says,  in  the  first  place,  "  that  they  preach 
Christ  with  good  will  ;"  that  is,  with  an  honest  heart,  who  prin- 
cipally sought  in  this  labour  the  end  to  which  it  naturally 
tends,  that  is  to  say,  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  the  edification  and 
salvation  of  their  hearers,  and  the  satisfaction  of  their  own  con- 
science. He  adds,  in  the  second  place,  that  they  did  it  also 
from  love  ;  "  knowing  that  I  am  set  for  the  defence  of  the  gos- 
pel ;"  by  which  he  bears  witness  to  their  praiseworthy  and  ex- 
cellent affection,  not  only  towards  those  whom  they  instructed 
by  their  words,  but  also  towards  himself,  seeking  by  the  exer- 
cise of  this  part  of  their  ministry  to  comfort  and  not  to  vex 
him,  to  soothe  and  not  to  afflict  him,  conforming  their  preach- 


58  AN  EXPOSITION  OF  [SERM.   III. 

ing  to  his  satisfaction,  and  not  to  their  own  advantage,  as  did  the 
others.  For  acknowledging  him  as  an  apostle  and  principal 
minister  of  the  gospel  sent  by  God  for  the  establishment  of  his 
word  in  the  world,  they  ascribed  their  preaching  to  his  order, 
pretending  by  that  not  to  lower  or  diminish  his  authority,  but 
merely  to  second  it,  and  to  supply  in  any  way  the  want  of  his 
voice  in  those  places  in  which  his  bonds  prevented  its  being 
heard,  so  that  neither  the  church  nor  those  without  should 
have  anything  to  find  fault  with.  Upon  which  we  have  first 
to  consider  the  excellence  of  the  office  of  the  holy  ministry  in 
the  object  which  the  apostle  assigns  to  it,  viz.  the  defence  of 
the  gospel.  For  what  other  title  can  we  bear  in  the  house  of 
God  more  glorious  than  that  of  being  the  defenders  of  his 
word,  and  the  advocates  of  his  cause  ?  This  honour,  my  breth- 
ren, obliges  us  to  defend  it  well,  to  represent  with  liberty  and 
vigour  to  men  all  the  rights  of  the  Lord,  to  preserve  them  with 
all  our  might,  without  losing  one,  either  by  our  silence  or  our 
negligence.  Inasmuch  as  our  voice  and  our  tongue  have  been 
consecrated  to  this  service,  it  would  be  weakness  and  extreme 
ingratitude  that  they  should  ever  fail  in  so  holy  and  so  honour- 
able a  duty.  But  we  must  remark,  in  the  second  place,  that  it 
is  the  ordinance  of  God,  and  not  flesh  and  blood,  which  calls 
and  appoints  men  to  this  holy  ministry  :  "I  am  set,"  or 
ordained,  says  the  apostle  ;  and  elsewhere  he  observes,  "  that 
God  had  separated  him  from  his  mother's  womb,"  Gal.  i.  15  ; 
and  that  it  is  lie  "  which  afterwards  called  him  by  his  grace," 
on  account  of  which  he  is  called  "the  vessel  of  his  election," 
that  is  to  say,  an  instrument  chosen  of  God  to  exercise  the 
apostleship.  The  Lord  had  long  before  said  of  Jeremiah,  chap. 
i.  5,  "  that  he  had  known  him  before  he  was  formed  in  the 
belly,  and  before  he  came  out  of  the  womb  he  had  sanctified 
him,  and  ordained  him  a  prophet."  From  which  it  appears 
that  the  calling  and  appointment  to  this  office  is  a  work  of  the 
providence  of  God  ;  that  he  has  predestinated  before  time  those 
whom  he  called  in  time;  a  consideration  which  ought  to  arm, 
with  invincible  constancy  and  courage,  those  who  feel  the 
work  of  the  Lord  in  them.  But  besides  the  office  of  the  holy 
ministry,  Paul  has  respect  also  in  this  place  to  the  peculiar 
quality  which  it  then  gave  him  of  being  the  confessor  of  God,  suf- 
fering for  the  name  of  his  Son  ;  it  being  evident  that  the  work 
and  the  constancy  of  those  who  are  persecuted  for  this  profes- 
sion are  an  apology  for  the  gospel,  as  the  apostle  had  before 
taught,  when  he  called  his  imprisonment  the  "  defence  and  con- 
firmation of  the  gospel."  Let  us  then  presume  that  it  is  neither 
chance,  nor  hatred,  nor  the  fury  of  Satan  and  of  men,  but  the 
order  and  the  counsel  of  God,  which  leads  believers  into  these 
trials.  May  every  one  of  those  who  shall  find  himself  in  such 
a  situation  be  able  to  say  truly  with  the  apostle,  "  I  am  set  for 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIAN3.  59 

the  defence  of  the  gospel."  Finally,  we  have  yet  to  learn  from 
the  example  of  these  good  servants  of  God,  who,  seeing  Paul 
in  prison,  began  to  preach  the  word,  that  it  is  one  of  the  princi- 
pal duties  of  love  to  extend  the  hand  to  those  of  our  brethren 
who  labour  for  the  Lord's  sake.  It  is  not  enough  to  bless 
them  in  our  hearts,  or  to  help  them  with  our  tears  or  prayers, 
we  must  join  ourselves  to  them,  lend  them,  courageously,  our 
hands  and  our  tongues,  and  where  their  voice  cannot  penetrate, 
boldly  cause  our  own  to  be  heard.  For  if  we  betray  the  cause 
of  Christ  on  such  occasions,  what  can  we  expect,  but  that  this 
great  Advocate  will  also  abandon  ours  before  the  tribunal  of 
his  Father,  where  we  have  no  other  intercessor  or  mediator 
than  himself? 

Furthermore,  in  this  assistance  which  we  owe  our  brethren, 
we  must  so  conduct  ourselves  that  our  diligence  shall  only 
turn  to  their  consolation,  bringing  to  it  minds  free  from  every 
evil  leaven,  and  which  have  nothing  in  common  with  the  dis- 
position of  those  wicked  doers,  censured  in  this  place  by  Paul, 
who  preach  and  proclaim  Jesus  Christ  of  envy  and  contention, 
and  not  sincerely,  thinking  to  add  affliction  to  the  bonds  of 
this  holy  man.  The  crime  of  these  unhappy  beings  is  so 
strange,  so  unjust,  and  so  contrary  to  all  appearance  of  com- 
mon sense,  that  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  men  endowed 
with  reason  could  have  been  capable  of  committing  it.  They 
proclaim  Jesus  Christ  with  their  mouth,  and  have  envy  and 
contention  in  their  heart.  They  preach  Christ,  and  hate  his 
apostle.  Even  this  is  a  very  strange  anomaly  ;  but  there  is  yet 
more.  It  is  envy  that  makes  them  preach,  and  that  at  a  time 
and  in  places  where  the  gospel  was  persecuted,  and  where 
there  was  a  particular  spite  against  those  who  preached  the 
word.  O  monstrous  and  incredible  production  !  How  is  it 
possible  that  so  good  an  effect  should  have  sprung  from  a  cause 
so  vile  ?  If  you  look  at  their  labour,  what  can  be  conceived 
greater  and  more  praiseworthy  than  preaching  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  at  Rome,  under  the  government  of  Nero,  at  the  very 
time  that  Paul  was  suffering  for  this  cause?  If  you  look  at 
their  motive,  what  blacker  and  more  malicious  than  the  envy 
with  which  their  heart  was  infected,  and  this  envy  against 
Paul,  the  great  apostle  of  the  Lord,  then  suffering  for  his  name? 
How  is  it  that  this  poison  had  the  power  to  make  the  persons 
despise  the  danger  into  which  they  brought  themselves  by 
preaching?  But  their  design  is  still  stranger  than  all  the  rest. 
For  in  preaching  Jesus  Christ  they  did  it  to  afflict  Paul,  think- 
ing, (says  he,)  by  this  means,  to  add  affliction  to  my  bonds. 
What  an  extravagant  and  ridiculous  thought  was  this  !  The 
preaching  of  the  gospel  was  the  whole  joy,  triumph,  and  glory 
of  this  holy  man,  and  yet  these  wretches  think  that  they  shall 
vex  him  by  preaching  Jesus  Christ.     Dear  brethren,  the  whole 


60  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  III. 

of  this  circumstance  is  so  perplexed  and  entangled,  that  it  is 
very  difficult  to  unravel  it  clearly.  Some  have  fancied  that 
the  doctrine  of  these  persons  was  impure,  and  mixed  with  the 
venom  of  some  heresy  ;  such,  for  example,  as  was  the  preach- 
ing of  those  who  confounded  the  law  of  Moses  with  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ,  against  which  the  apostle  argues  so  cuttingly 
in  the  Epistles  to  the  Galatians  and  Colossians;  and  supposing 
this  to  be  the  case,  they  say,  that  their  intention  was  to  cause 
grief  to  Paul,  by  sowing  their  tares  in  the  field  of  the  Lord, 
whilst  his  imprisonment  prevented  his  opposing  them,  as  he 
would  have  done,  had  he  been  at  liberty.  But  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  this  could  have  been  the  case,  for  undoubtedly  Paul 
would  not  have  taken  pleasure  in  seeing  the  gospel  corrupted, 
nor  could  he  rejoice  that  a  deadly  tare  had  been  sown  among 
the  people  of  Jesus  Christ.  Now  he  says  expressly,  that  he 
did  rejoice  that  these  people  preached  Jesus  Christ,  although 
they  did  it  for  a  pretence,  and  not  through  a  real  zeal.  From 
whence  it  follows,  that  however  corrupt  these  evil  workers 
might  be,  their  doctrine,  nevertheless,  was  pure.  We  must 
then  take  it  for  granted  that  their  preaching  was  right  and 
true.  It  was  only  their  conscience  that  was  evil.  The  word 
was  good  ;  but  the  heart,  the  motive,  and  the  design  were  bad. 
And  it  is  precisely  to  this,  and  to  nothing  more,  that  we  must 
refer  what  the  apostle  says,  "  that  they  did  not  preach  Jesus 
Christ  sincerely."  He  means  the  impurity  of  the  heart,  and 
not  that  of  the  doctrine;  as  if  he  had  said,  that  while  they 
were  preaching  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  they  did  not  practise 
it  with  a  mind  upright  and  simple,  free  from  deceit  and  without 
hypocrisy.  Paul  once  discovers  enough  of  their  malice,  when 
he  accuses  them,  in  the  first  place,  of  envy  and  contention, 
two  of  the  blackest  plagues  that  can  afflict  the  human  heart. 
And  it  is  not  here  alone  that  we  learn  that  the  apostle  has  met 
with  these  scourges  even  among  those  who  professed  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  minds  which,  jealous  of  the  great  advantages 
that  God  had  given  this  holy  man,  groaned  at  it  inwardly,  and 
endeavoured  by  every  means  in  their  power  to  deprive  him 
of  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  christians.  The  two 
Epistles  to  the  Corinthians,  and  some  others,  sufficiently  show 
us  that  sometimes  he  was  forced  to  fight  for  his  own  glory,  and 
to  represent,  at  length,  the  fruits  of  his  ministry,  and  the 
favours  which  the  Lord  had  shown  him,  to  preserve  the  autho- 
rity of  his  office  against  the  attacks  of  the  envious.  It  is  a 
great  consolation  for  those  who  labour  in  the  house  of  God,  if 
sometimes  there  happen  to  them  some  one  of  these  secret,  but 
lively  and  acute,  persecutions  ;  if,  beside  the  blows  from  with- 
out, they  have  still  to  suffer  secretly  the  stings  and  bitings  of 
envy  within.  For  since  Paul,  with  such  eminent  and  splendid 
virtue,  did  not  escape  giving  offence,  and  having  those  who 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  61 

envied  him,  no  other  minister  of  the  Lord  should  think  it 
strange  that  this  plague  should  also  persecute  him. 

But  see,  I  pray  you,  how  far  the  rage  of  their  passion  carried 
these  people.  They  think,  says  the  apostle,  "  to  add  affliction 
to  my  bonds."  O  barbarous  and  inhuman  beings  !  0  cruelty, 
only  fit  for  hell  !  They  see  him  persecuted  by  Jews  and  pagans 
after  the  storms  and  shipwrecks  of  the  sea,  breathing  with  dif- 
ficulty on  the  earth,  bound  with  a  chain — the  prisoner  of  Nero, 
expecting  each  moment  the  hour  of  his  torment.  And  yet  all 
this  is  not  capable  of  softening  the  fury  of  their  passioDS. 
They  still  envy  him,  they  still  wish  him  evil.  And  to  such 
sad  and  painful  bonds,  which  might  have  been  sufficient  to 
content  the  bitterest  hatred,  they  endeavour  to  add  affliction. 
It  was  this  foul  and  mad  design  which  led  them  to  preach  Jesus 
Christ.  And  it  is  in  this  lies  the  knot  of  the  difficulty  ;  how 
and  in  what  way  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  as  they  did, 
could  injure  the  apostle,  or  add  affliction  to  his  bonds,  and 
from  what  it  was  that  they  could  conceive  such  an  idea.  Dear 
brethren,  if  we  clearly  knew  all  the  circumstances  of  this  fact 
as  did  the  believers  who  were  then  living  at  Eome,  perhaps  it 
would  be  easy  for  us  to  solve  this  difficulty.  Now  that  we  are 
ignorant  of  them,  we  are  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  conjec- 
tures ;  and  two  present  themselves  which  neither  want  authors 
nor  reasons.  First,  It  may  be,  that  the  enemies  of  the  apostle 
hoped  that  their  preaching  would  irritate  Nero  and  his  officers 
against  Christianity,  and  that,  offended  at  this  new  increase 
which  this  doctrine  had  received  at  Rome,  they  would  quickly 
discharge  their  anger  upon  him,  whom  they  kept  a  prisoner, 
and  who  was  considered  as  the  principal  support  of  this  grow- 
ing religion,  that  is  to  say,  Paul,  either  by  putting  him  to  death 
suddenly,  or  by  condemning  him  to  some  more  grievous 
trouble  than  his  present  prison.  Secondly,  It  may  be  that 
envy  had  inspired  them  with  another  thought,  that  by  labour- 
ing in  preaching  the  gospel  they  should  obtain  a  part  of  the 
apostle's  glory,  and  that  by  making  good  use  of  the  time  of 
his  imprisonment,  to  establish  themselves  in  the  minds  of  the 
disciples,  they  should,  by  degrees,  take  away  the  credit  and 
authority  which  he  possessed  ;  and  judging  of  him  by  them- 
selves, they  imagined  that  it  would  be  an  immense  increase  to 
his  affliction  to  see  them  thus  enriched  and  decorated  with  his 
spoils.  Such,  or  such  like,  were  the  thoughts  of  these  wretched 
men.  Judge  by  this  what  is  the  nature  of  vice,  and,  in  the 
first  place,  how  very  horrible  is  its  impudence  in  daring  thus 
to  profane  the  most  sacred  things,  and  to  abuse  them  so  vilely 
for  its  own  ungodly  purpose.  What  is  there  more  sacred  than 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  The  wicked  man  not  only  has 
the  boldness  to  take  it  into  his  mouth,  which  of  itself  is  great 
sacrilege,  but  he  dares  further  to  employ  it  in  the  designs  of 


62  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  III. 

his  basest  passions,  to  satisfy  his  envy  and  his  cruelty,  like 
these  vile  beings,  who  made  an  ill  use  of  Jesus  Christ  against 
the  best  of  his  servants,  and  employed  his  name  and  his  word 
to  ruin  his  glory.  Thus  Satan  sometimes  clothes  himself  as 
an  angel  of  light  to  further  the  works  of  darkness.  #  From 
which  yon  see  that  it  is  not  enough  that  our  actions  be  good 
and  praiseworthy,  if  our  intentions  are  not  pure  and  upright. 
It  is  to  profane  the  good  to  do  it  with  a  bad  end  in  view  ;  it  is 
to  dishonour  it  and  prostitute  it  to  evil  ;  and  so  far  from  those 
who  act  thus  having  a  right  to  hope  for  the  reward  that  the 
divine  word  promises  to  good  actions,  they  can,  on  the  con- 
trary, only  expect  the  most  rigorous  punishment  with  which 
hypocrisy,  sacrilege,  and  profanation  are  threatened  in  the 
scriptures  ;  it  being  evident  that  there  is  no  more  abominable 
injustice  than  that  ofhim  who  covers  the  filthiness  of  vice  and 
impiety  with  the  marks  and  characteristics  of  virtue  and  holiness. 
See  again  after  that,  how  the  thoughts  of  vice  are  not  only  im- 
pudent, but  even  foolish  and  vain.  These  deceivers,  judging 
of  Paul  by  themselves,  believed  that  their  preaching  would  vex 
him,  they  thought  by  so  doing  to  "  add  affliction  to  his  bonds." 
Poor  creatures  !  how  little  you  knew  of  this  high-minded  man, 
to  imagine  that  so  small  a  thing  could  trouble  him  ! 

III.  Thus  you  see  the  thing  turned  out  exactly  contrary  to 
their  expectations  :  they  thought  to  vex  him,  and  they  com- 
forted him  ;  they  thought  to  weary  him,  and  they  afforded 
him  contentment:  he  rejoices  in  their  hatred,  and  profits  by 
their  envy.  This  is  what  he  declares  in  the  last  verse  of  our 
text,  "  What  then  ?  (says  he,)  every  way,  whether  in  pretence, 
or  in  truth,  Christ  is  preached,  and  I  therein  do  rejoice,  yea, 
and  will  rejoice."  What  business  have  I,  says  he,  to  labour 
to  detect  the  secret  intentions  of  men,  and  to  sift  the  mo- 
tives of  their  actions,  to  vex  myself  with  the  malice  of  their 
plans?  God  their  judge  sees  through  all.  Whatever  their 
heart  may  be,  whether  true  or  false,  nevertheless,  my  Christ  is 
preached,  and  his  doctrine  set  forth.  If  the  instruments  are 
bad,  the  effect  they  produce  is  good.  I  shall  not  fail  to  find 
my  account  in  it,  while  these  wretches  will  not  have  theirs. 
Christ  preached  is  always  to  me  a  matter  of  joy,  whatever  may 
be  the  heart  of  the  preacher.  He  calls  it  "  preaching  Christ 
in  truth,"  when  he  who  proclaims  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord  pro- 
ceeds in  it  with  a  pure  and  sincere  heart,  seeking  with  a  good 
will,  and  from  the  bottom  of  his  soul,  the  glory  of  Him  whom 
he  announces,  whilst  he  testifies  of  it  in  his  words.  To  preach 
it  occasionally,  or  by  pretence,  signifies  quite  the  contrary,  it 
is  seeking  something  besides  Jesus  Christ  in  preaching  his 
word,  to  make  an  ill  use  of  his  name  to  cover  some  dishonest 
design  ;  which  is  precisely  what  these  evil  workers  did  whom 
the  apostle  has  just  been  reproving.     He  does  not  simply  say 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE    TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  63 

that  he  rejoices  in  the  success  of  the  preaching,  both  of  the 
one  and  the  other.  He  adds  further,  that  he  will  rejoice  in  it 
for  the  future,  to  show  that  they  are  much  mistaken  if  they 
think  to  vex  him  by  it;  as,  on  the  contrary,  the  more  they  la- 
boured in  preaching,  the  more  satisfaction  they  would  afford 
him  thereby. 

Thus  you  see,  dear  brethren,  that  God  by  the  secret  springs 
of  his  mysterious  providence  so  powerfully  governs  the  most 
corrupt  instruments,  that  he  still  does  his  work  by  them  when 
he  employs  them.      He  converted  men  to  the  faith  by  the 
word  of  such  as   had   none  themselves.     He  edified  a  true 
church  by  the  preaching  of  one  who  was  a  hypocrite.     Thus 
formerly  he  blessed  his  own  Israel  by  the  mouth  of  a  false  pro- 
phet.    Whilst  we  detest  the  abominable  profaneness  of  men 
who  so  dreadfully  abuse  the  gospel,  let  us  not  cease  to  rejoice 
in  the  good  effects  which  God  produces  by  their  hands.     Let 
us  hold  the  thorns   of  such  plants   in  horror,  and  gather  with 
thanksgiving  the  roses  which  the  goodness  of  God  causes  to 
spring  from  them  ;  and,  after  the  example  of  the  apostle,  let 
us  rejoice  to  see  our  Christ  preached,  whatever  may  be  the 
mind  or  the  hand  which  presents  us  his  mysteries.     But  in 
conclusion,  remark  here,  my  brethren,  the  truth  of  what  the 
apostle  elsewhere  teaches  us,  that  all  things  work  together  for 
good  to  those  who  love  God,  who  are  called  according  to  his 
purpose.     The  efforts  of  envy  and  contention  against  Paul 
turn  to  his  satisfaction.     His  Lord  changes  poison  into  medi- 
cine for  him,  and  makes  him  reap  consolation  and  joy  from 
what  had  been  sown  for  his  vexation  and  ruin.     Nothing  in- 
jures this  holy  man.     He  finds  satisfaction  every  where.     He 
handles  the  most  painful  evils,  as  he  did  formerly  the  viper  at 
Malta,  without  receiving  any   injury.      Every  thing  profita 
him,  and  there  is  no  wind  so  contrary  which  does  not  waft  him 
to  his  haven.     Dearly  beloved  brethren,  let  us  have  his  faith; 
let  us  evince  for  Jesus  Christ  and  his  glory  such  a  zeal  as 
Paul's.     Let  us  despise,  as  he  did,  the  world,  the  flesh,  and 
their  vanities.     Let  us  detach  our  hearts  from  so  many  worldly 
ties,  which  bind  them  to  the  earth,  the  lusts  of  riches,  volup- 
tuousness, and  honours.     May  our  hearts  be  pressed  with  no 
other  chain  than  that  of  Paul;   may  this  bond  alone  attach  us, 
as  it  did  him,  indissolubly  to  Jesus  Christ,  who  lives  in  us, 
and  there  mortifies  whatever  is  fleshly.     Let  us  be  holy  as 
Paul,  and  we  shall  be  happy  like  him;  as  it  was  to  him,  so 
will  all  turn  to  our  good,  prosperity  and  adversity,  the  favour 
and  the  hatred  of  men,  life  and  death  itself.     Whatever  may 
happen  to  ourselves  or  others,  we  shall  always  be  content; 
and  after  the  consolations  of  this  world,  we  shall  enter  into 
the  endless  glory  of  the  other,  to  live  and  reign  there  for  ever 
with  Paul  and  the  other  saints  in  Jesus  Christ,  their  Saviour 


64  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IV. 

and  ours  :  to  whom,  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  one 
true  and  only  God,  eternally  blessed,  be  honour  and  glory  for 
ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  26th  Feb.  1640. 


SEKMON  IV. 

VERSE   19 — 21. 


For  I  Toxoid  that  this  shall  turn  to  my  salvation  through  your 
prayer,  and  the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  according 
to  my  earnest  expectation  and  my  hope,  that  in  nothing  I  shall 
be  ashamed,  but  that  with  all  boldness,  as  always,  so  now  also 
Christ  shall  be  magnified  in  my  body,  whether  it  be  by  life,  or 
by  death.     For  Christ  is  gain  to  me  living  and  dying. 

Dear  brethren,  examples  are  of  great  and  efficacious  use  in 
forming  the  manners  of  men  to  piety  and  virtue;  for  besides 
that  they  show  us  the  nature  of  our  duties  much  more  clearly 
than  precepts,  presenting  them  to  us  in  persons  and  in  sensible 
effects,  while  precepts  only  exhibit  them  to  us  in  idea,  they 
have  also  this  advantage,  that  whilst  precepts  only  declare  to 
us  that  they  are  duties  which  we  ought  to  perform,  examples 
prove  to  us  also  that  they  can  be  done  ;  and  moreover  they 
spur  us  on,  and  induce  us  to  endeavour  to  do  them  from  that 
desire  of  imitating  others,  which,  like  a  secret  but  sharp  and 
stinging  goad,  they  leave  in  our  hearts.  This  is  the  reason 
that  our  God  has  not  felt  it  enough  to  give  us  in  the  scrip- 
tures his  divine  commands,  which  most  perfectly  contain  all 
the  rules  for  a  holy  and  happy  life  ;  he  has  added  to  them  the 
examples  of  his  most  excellent  servants  to  direct  us,  and  to 
serve  as  so  many  lights  and  patterns  in  that  great  and  noble 
design  ;  so  that,  being  stimulated  to  obey  him  on  earth,  we  may 
hereafter  attain  to  the  glory  of  his  heavenly  kingdom.  Thus 
he  has  taken  care  to  trace  in  the  ancient  books,  as  in  so  many 
pictures,  all  the  history,  actions,  and  sufferings  of  the  most 
illustrious  personages  whom  he  formerly  raised  up  under  the 
Old  Testament,  such  as  an  Abraham,  an  Isaac,  a  Jacob,  a  Mo- 
ses, a  Job,  a  Joshua,  a  Samuel,  and  a  David,  and  many  others 
like  them  ;  so  that  the  first  people  having  these  fine  models 
before  their  eyes,  might  form  their  lives  according  to  their 
features,  forms,  and  colours  ;  he  has  acted  on  the  same  plan  in 
the  writings  of  the  New  Testament,  where,  with  the  heavenly 
laws  of  his  Christ,  he  has  also  set  before  us  the  examples  of 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  .        65 

those  great  heroes  who  were  the  ornaments  of  the  early  days 
of  his  church,  and  who  dissipated  the  darkness  of  error  and 
vice  by  the  light  of  their  doctrine  and  of  their  holiness  ;  such 
were  formerly  the  apostles  and  their  beloved  disciples.  But 
there  is  not  one  of  them  whose  life  is  more  particularly  and 
exactly  described  than  that  of  Paul.  It  must  also  be  acknow- 
ledged, that  it  contains  the  pattern  of  all  our  duties,  whether 
towards  God  or  towards  men,  expressed  in  their  noblest  forms, 
and  represented  in  their  highest  and  most  brilliant  colours; 
there  is  no  vice  which  is  not  conquered,  and  no  temptation 
that  is  not  rejected.  You  see  in  it  the  ardour  of  zeal,  the  gen- 
tleness of  humility,  the  courage  and  constancy  of  faith,  the 
joy  of  hope,  the  triumphs  of  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  the 
kindnesses  and  tendernesses  of  charity;  a  magnanimity  with- 
out pride,  a  prudence  without  cunning,  a  simplicity  without 
folly  ;  a  harmless  wisdom,  an  indefatigable  labour,  and  a  bold 
modesty;  a  contentment  without  disdain;  a  soul  which  per- 
fectly hated  vice,  and  equally  loved  men,  which,  entirely  at- 
tached to  its  Christ,  breathes  but  for  his  glory  and  his  inte- 
rests, and  which,  although  linked  to  a  poor  and  vile  body, 
already  lives  in  the  heavens  with  the  cherubim  and  seraphim. 
These  great  virtues  of  the  apostle  are  continually  presented  to 
you  in  this  place,  my  brethren,  that  you  may  imitate  them. 
But  upon  the  present  occasion  we  have  only  to  consider  his 
firm  and  unshaken  resolution  in  afflictions,  as  he  himself  re- 
presents it  to  us  in  the  text  that  you  have  heard.  The  Jews 
hated  him  with  furious  passion  ;  the  pagans  threatened  him  ; 
he  was  at  Eome  in  the  prison  of  Nero,  as  in  the  claws  of  a 
lion.  Besides  the  enemies  without,  many  false  christians,  ani- 
mated with  malice  and  envy,  persecuted  him  within  ;  and  their 
rage  was  so  blind  that  they  even  employed  against  him  the 
preaching  of  his  gospel,  to  add  affliction  to  his  bonds.  He 
complains  of  this,  if  you  remember,  in  the  preceding  verses  ; 
but  in  the  midst  of  so  many  evils,  he  nevertheless  does  not 
cease  to  say  that  he  rejoiced  in  them,  and  would  still  continue 
to  rejoice.  Now  he  assigns  the  cause  of  this  his  marvellous 
disposition.  Tell  us  then,  0  holy  apostle,  whence  arises  the 
calmness  of  thy  mind,  in  the  midst  of  such  a  violent  tempest? 
Is  thine  heart  of  iron  or  of  steel?  Does  thy  nature  hide  un- 
der this  human  form  which  it  outwardly  wears  some  rock, 
insensible  to  those  accidents  which  trouble  other  men?  No, 
says  he;  it  is  something  ver}'-  different  from  insensibility  which 
gives  me  this  constancy.  My  flesh  is  not  harder  than  yours  ; 
my  soul  is  of  the  same  temper  as  that  of  other  men,  and  sub- 
ject to  the  same  passions.  It  is  to  the  knowledge  and  power 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  alone  that  I  owe  my  tranquillity.  It  is  he 
who  maintains  my  joy,  and  will  preserve  it,  even  to  the  end, 
pure  and  entire  ;  "  For  I  know  that  this  shall  turn  to  my  sal- 
9 


QQ  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   IV. 

vation  through,  your  prayer,  and  the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of 
Jesus  Christ,  according  to  my  earnest  expectation  and  my 
hope,  that  in  nothing  I  shall  be  ashamed,  but  that  with  all 
boldness,  as  always,  so  now  also  Christ  shall  be  magnified  in 
my  body,  whether  it  be  by  life,  or  by  death."  And  that  you 
may  not  take  his  assurance  for  vain  presumption,  he  declares 
to  us,  in  the  following  verse,  the  wonderful  power  of  this  sov- 
ereign Lord,  on  which  it  was  founded,  "For  Christ  is  gain  to 
me  living  or  dying."  Thus  we  have  two  things  on  which  to 
treat,  in  this  discourse,  by  the  grace  of  God:  the  assurance  of 
the  holy  apostle,  which  he  represents  to  us  in  the  two  first 
verses  of  the  text;  and  the  excellence  of  the  power  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  on  which  it  rested,  so  abundant  in  grace,  that  it  is 
gain  to  those  who  serve  him,  either  to  live  or  die,  as  he  pro- 
tests to  us  in  the  last  verse. 

I.  As  to  the  first  point,  he  sets  forth  to  us,  in  the  19th  verse, 
his  assurance  in  respect  to  the  particular  trial  under  which  he 
then  laboured,  and  in  the  following  verse  the  steadfast  hope 
and  confidence  which  he  felt  of  not  being  ashamed  in  any  thing, 
of  which  his  assurance  against  the  present  danger  was  a  part, 
or  an  effect.     He  commences  then  by  the  particular  trial,  and 
from  thence  takes  occasion  to  testify  the  confidence  that  he  felt 
generally  against  all  sorts  of  temptations  :  "  I  know  that  this 
shall  turn  to  my  salvation  ;" — this,  that  is  to  say,  the  persecu- 
tion that  was  carried  on  against  him  by  those  without,  and 
those  within,  of  whom  he  had  spoken  in  the  verse  immediately 
preceding  ;  they  do  (says  he)  all  they  can  to  ruin  me,  but  I  am 
certain  that  they  never  will  attain  the  object  of  their  cruel  and 
sanguinary  design  ;  and  that,  instead  of  ruining  me,  all  their 
violent  and  malicious  efforts  will  serve  for  my  safety.     I  shall 
even  find  my  salvation  in  that  which  they  have  contrived  for 
my  destruction.     Do  not  imagine  that  the  salvation  of  which 
he  here  speaks  is  simply  his  bodily  deliverance  from  the  im- 
prisonment in  which  he  was  then  detained.     It  is  true  that  he 
did  come  out  of  it,  and  was  preserved  for  some  time  longer  on 
the  earth,  to  finish  his  race.     And  it  is  further  true,  that  from 
this  period,  when  he  wrote  this  Epistle,  he  had  a  certain  as- 
surance that  the  thing  would  happen  thus,  as  he  himself  de- 
clares to  us  afterwards  ;  so  that  if  it  meant  nothing  else,  what 
he  says  here  of  his  salvation  might  be  referred  to  his  temporal 
deliverance  from  the  prison  of  Nero.     But  that  which  he  adds 
in  the  following  verse,  "  that  Christ  shall  be  magnified  in  him, 
whether  by  life,  or  by  death,"  evidently  shows  that  he  here 
speaks  of  the  salvation  of  the  soul  ;  and,  leaving  for  the  present 
his  bodily  deliverance  in  doubt,  he  means,  that  whatever  may 
happen,  he  is  nevertheless  assured  that  all  the  work  which  the 
cruelty  and  malignity  of  his  enemies  may  give  him  will  suc- 
ceed, contrary  to  their  expectation,  to  the  benefit  and  promo- 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  67 

tion  of  the  salvation  begun  in  him  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
And  that  you  may  not  think  this  confidence  which  he  feels  in 
the  happy  success  of  his  present  trial  was  the  fruit  of  carnal 
presumption,  arising  from  some  opinion  of  his  own  strength, 
after  having  said,  that  all  that  the  adversaries  of  the  church 
devised  against  him  will  turn  to  his  salvation,  he  adds,  "  by 
your  prayer,  and  through  the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
Jesus."  It  is  not  of  myself,  neither  from  the  strength  of  my 
mind,  nor  from  the  light  of  my  understanding,  that  I  expect 
such  great  success,  but  indeed  from  the  Spirit  of  my  Master, 
who  perfects  his  strength  in  our  weakness  ;  I  am  sure  that  he 
will  supply  me  with  all  I  need  for  this  combat,  and  that  the 
prayers  which  you  present  to  him  on  my  behalf  will  obtain 
this  grace  from  his  goodness.  For  it  is  thus  that  the  words  of 
the  apostle  must  be  explained,  in  taking  "  the  supply  of  the 
Spirit  of  Christ"  for  the  true,  proper,  and  only  cause  of  his 
perseverance  in  the  paths  of  salvation  ;  and  the  prayer  of  the 
Philippians  only  for  a  help  and  a  means,  which  will  serve  to 
procure  for  him  the  grace  of  God,  which  was  necessary  for  his 
victory.  "  By  your  prayer,  and  the  supply  of  the  Spirit  of 
Christ  ;"  that  is  to  say,  by  the  help  and  assistance  of  the  Spirit 
of  Jesus  Christ  that  your  prayers  will  obtain  for  me,  God 
hearing,  according  to  his  goodness  and  truth,  the  prayers  that 
so  many  believers  offer  to  him  for  my  salvation.  See  the  hu- 
mility of  this  holy  man  !  He  professes  to  owe  his  salvation  to 
his  disciples,  and  imputes  the  success  of  his  great  combats  to 
their  prayers.  And  do  not  imagine  that  this  is  only  a  civility, 
or  an  artful  flattery,  which  he  here  shrewdly  employs  to  please 
and  oblige  the  Philippians.  He  speaks  as  he  thinks,  knowing 
that  the  prayers  of  the  righteous,  aye,  of  the  least  of  them, 
made  in  faith,  are  of  great  efficacy.  And  he  speaks  of  them  in 
this  manner,  that  they  may  be  induced  to  pray  so  much  the 
more  ardently  to  the  Lord  for  him,  seeing  how  much  effect  he 
promised  himself  from  the  help  of  their  prayers.  In  the  fol- 
lowing verse,  he  shows  us  the  root  from  whence  sprang  the  as- 
surance he  felt  in  his  heart  of  the  happy  success  of  his  own 
conflict.  "  According  to  my  earnest  expectation  and  my  hope, 
that  in  nothing  I  shall  be  ashamed."  The  word*  which  we 
have  translated  "  earnest  expectation"  signifies  properly  an  ex- 
pectation joined  with  a  great  and  ardent  desire,  which  keeps 
all  our  mind,  thoughts,  and  affections  riveted  upon  the  thing 
expected,  as  when  we  continually  turn  the  head  and  the  eyes 
towards  that  side  from  whence  we  are  looking  for  some  beloved 
friend  for  whom  we  wait  with  impatience.  In  Rom.  viii.  19, 
where  Paul  says,  "  For  the  earnest  expectation  of  the  creature 
waiteth  for  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God,"  he  uses  the 

*   A7ro(capaJo«fi'a. 


68  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  IV. 

word  very  elegantly,  to  express  the  deep  and  secret,  though 
ardent  and  vehement,  desire  felt  by  all  the  universe  to  see  and 
to  possess  the  glory  in  which  the  Son  of  God  will  re-establish 
it  at  his  final  coming,  and  the  affection,  so  to  speak,  with  which 
it  sighs  after  this  same  felicity,  wearied  with  the  misery  and 
the  vanity  to  which  it  has  been  subjected  by  the  sinfulness  of 
man.  Here  he  employs  the  word  in  the  same  sense,  to  show 
us  that  his  expectation  was  not  weak  and  languid,  similar  to 
that  with  which  we  expect  things  that  are  indifferent  to  us,  but 
ardent,  and  passionate,  and  joined  with  a  vehement  desire  to 
possess  that  salvation  for  which  he  hopes  ;  such  was  the  ex- 
pectation of  those  violent,  men  of  whom  mention  is  made  in 
the  gospel,  who,  burning  with  impatience  to  see  the  kingdom 
of  God,  sprang  forward,  as  it  were,  beyond  themselves,  and 
going  to  meet  it  took  it  by  force,  through  their  desires  and  the 
transports  of  their  faith  before  its  arrival.  Matt.  xi.  12.  Such 
was  the  expectation  of  our  Paul,  so  ardent,  that  by  it  he  already 
in  some  measure  enjoyed  the  salvation  for  which  he  hoped,  and 
looked  upon  it  as  a  thing  not  absent  and  future,  but  present 
and  already  in  his  hand,  so  much  was  he  both  delighted  with 
it  and  assured  of  it. 

To  this  expectation  he  adds  the  hope  which  he  cherishes, 
"that  in  nothing  he  shall  be  ashamed."  We  are  ashamed 
when  we  cannot  attain  the  end  we  desire,  and  when  we  are  de- 
prived of  those  good  things  which  we  had  promised  ourselves. 
The  end  of  the  apostle  was  the  glory  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  his 
salvation,  and  his  life  in  him.  His  hope  then  was  that  no- 
thing either  good  or  bad  might  prevent  him  from  attaining  this 
his  object,  or  take  from  him  that  felicity  which  he  promised 
himself;  in  the  same  sense  in  which  he  elsewhere  says  that 
"  hope  maketh  not  ashamed,"  Kom.  v.  5.  He  therefore  adds, 
in  order  that  he  may  explain  himself  still  more  clearly,  that 
far  from  being  ashamed  in  anything,  "  Christ,  as  well  now  as 
always,  shall  with  all  boldness  be  magnified  in  his  body, 
whether  by  life  or  by  death."  Should  men  and  devils  (says 
he)  unite  all  their  strength  and  fury  together,  I  fear  not  their 
devices  ;  and  am  certain  that  in  whatever  way  this  combat 
may  terminate,  it  will  redound  to  the  glory  of  my  Lord,  and 
that  this  circumstance  will  tend  to  heighten  the  greatness  of 
his  name  as  well  as  all  others  have  done  already.  He  draws 
his  soul  out  of  this  engagement,  as  a  thing  that  the  shafts  of 
the  world  cannot  reach,  according  to  what  the  Lord  has  said, 
that  men  cannot  kill  our  souls,  however  capable  they  may  be 
of  injuring  our  bodies.  And  as  to  his  body,  he  does  not  deny 
that  it  is  a  thing  that  may  happen,  that  the  iniquity  and  the 
rage  of  his  adversaries  may  deprive  him  of  the  life  that  he  pos- 
sessed, God  often  permitting  that  his  warriors  should  lose  their 
blood  and  their  lives  in  such  circumstances.     But  certain  he 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  69 

is,  that  whether  it  be  preserved,  or  whether  it  be  lost,  either 
the  one  or  the  other  shall  not  be  done  to  the  prejudice  of  his 
Master's  interests,  who  would  not  fail  to  derive  from  either 
event  the  glory  which  is  his  due.  This  poor  body,  (says  he,) 
this  earthly  tabernacle,  this  feeble  flesh,  which  is  in  the  power 
of  our  enemies,  bound  with  their  chains,  and  exposed  to  the 
shafts  of  their  cruelty,  will  notwithstanding  itself  bring  glory 
to  my  Lord  ;  and  however  man  may  dispose  of  it,  God  shall 
thereby  be  magnified.  For,  my  brethren,  although  the  gran- 
deur of  Jesus  Christ  is  infinite,  and  absolutely  incapable  of  in- 
crease in  itself,  yet,  nevertheless,  the  scripture  says  that  it  is 
magnified  when  his  glory  increases  among  men,  and  that  his 
servants  do  or  suffer  things  which  make  the  light  of  his  glo- 
rious majesty  to  appear,  and  testify  how  marvellous  is  his 
power,  his  wisdom,  or  his  goodness.  The  apostle  then  means, 
that  whatever  the  enemy  may  do,  he  will  always  remain  conse- 
crated to  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ,  without  anything  ever 
being  able  to  make  him  swerve  from  the  fidelity  which  he  had 
vowed  to  him.  For  in  this  case,  it  is  evident  that  both  his 
life  and  his  death  will  equally  promote  the  glory  of  the  Lord. 
Presupposing  that  he  should  remain  alive,  and  be  set  at  liberty, 
as  he  was,  is  it  not  clear  that  in  this  case  Christ  would  be  mag- 
nified by  him?  as  in  truth  he  was,  the  glory  of  his  power  be- 
ing manifested  in  the  preservation  and  deliverance  of  his  ser- 
vant, saved  by  his  providence  from  so  imminent  a  danger,  and, 
as  it  were,  torn  from  the  very  claws  of  a  lion,  or  from  the  pri- 
son of  a  whale,  as  Jonah  had  formerly  been.  And  would  not 
Christ  still  be  magnified  in  his  body,  in  another  manner,  by 
the  service  which  his  redeemed  servant  would  continue  more 
and  more  to  render  to  the  Lord  in  the  work  of  the  gospel,  by 
the  miracles  of  his  hands,  and  by  the  preaching  of  his  tongue, 
and  by  the  purity,  correctness,  and  holiness  of  his  other  mem- 
bers ?  Presupposing,  on  the  contrary,  that  Paul  should  die  in 
this  combat,  (which  did  not  happen  this  time,  but  which  oc- 
curred some  years  after,  when  the  issue  of  his  second  impri- 
sonment was  his  being  beheaded  by  the  order  of  Nero,)  who 
cannot  see  that  even  in  this  case  Christ  would  be  magnified  in 
his  body  ?  that  happy  body  preaching  in  a  more  lively  way 
than  ever  the  grandeur  of  that  Jesus  for  whom  it  suffered  so 
resolutely,  and  thus  triumphantly  sealing  with  his  blood  all 
that  his  tongue  had  ever  said,  and  all  that  his  hand  had  ever 
written,  on  his  divinity,  to  the  unparalleled  edification  of  the 
faithful,  to  the  conversion  of  the  pagans  and  of  the  Jews,  to 
the  conviction  of  unbelievers,  and  to  the  utter  astonishment 
of  all. 

But  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  he  says,  that  Christ  will  be 
magnified  in  his  body  "  in  all  boldness."  For  this  word  shows 
us   by   what   means   he   would   magnify   the    Lord,    namely, 


70  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   IV. 

(whether  in  recovering  hia  liberty,  or  in  losing  his  life,)  with  a 
full  and  entire  boldness,  without  hesitation,  without  stumbling, 
with  a  firm  and  heroic  resolution  never  to  purchase  his  life, 
never  to  escape  death,  at  the  price  of  any  baseness  against  the 
name  of  his  Master  ;  but  to  employ  either  his  life  or  his  death 
willingly  for  the  furtherance  of  his  kingdom,  to  make  mention 
always  of  him  at  all  times  and  in  all  places,  with  christian 
freedom,  without  caring  either  for  the  threats  or  for  the  promises 
of  the  world.  Such  in  truth  was  the  boldness  of  this  holy 
apostle,  as  well  in  life  as  in  death,  having  never  shown  a  desire 
for  the  one,  nor  a  fear  of  the  other,  when  they  were  in  ques- 
tion as  regarded  the  service  of  Jesus  Christ.  Such  also  has 
been  the  boldness  of  a  great  many  other  martyrs,  and  partic- 
ularly of  the  blessed  saint  Cyprian,  who,  seeing  that  the  pro- 
consul requested  him  to  think  of  himself,  and  to  sacrifice  to 
the  gods  rather  than  die,  answered  him  courageously,  that 
there  was  no  need  of  deliberation  on  so  right  a  thing,  freely 
offering  to  die  rather  than  to  offend  his  Master.  This  boldness, 
my  brethren,  is  what  most  delights  men  ;  it  is  this  which  forces 
them  in  the  most  efficacious  manner  to  give  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
the  glory  of  a  sovereign  power,  and  to  his  confessors  the  praise 
of  a  noble  courage  and  of  an  extraordinary  strength  of  mind. 
Finally,  we  must  also  consider  what  the  apostle  says,  that 
Christ  will  now  be  magnified  in  him  "  as  always,"  in  which 
you  see  that  the  past  fortifies  him  for  the  future  ;  the  expe- 
rience that  he  had  already  had  of  the  aid  of  his  God,  on  all 
other  occasions,  giving  him  a  solid  hope  that  the  same  assist- 
ance would  be  afforded  him  this  time,  according  to  the  doc- 
trine which  he  has  left  us  elsewhere,  "  that  experience  work- 
eth  hope,"  Eom.  v.  4. 

Behold,  believers,  the  constancy  and  resolution  of  Paul  in 
the  midst  of  his  bonds  Î  But  it  is  not  enough  to  look  at  and  to 
admire  this  fine  example  ;  we  must  profit  by  it,  and  draw 
from  it  the  rich  instruction  which  it  contains  for  our  consola- 
tion and  edification.  Let  us  here  first  learn  the  lesson  that 
Paul  often  gives  us,  that  all  things  work  together  for  good  to 
believers.  The  enemies  of  Paul  had  conducted  him  to  Rome 
under  the  eyes  and  into  the  prison  of  Nero,  the  greatest  enemy 
of  piety  and  virtue  that  the  world  ever  saw.  They  exaspera- 
ted and  irritated  his  judges  against  him  daily,  and  did  every- 
thing in  their  power  to  ruin  him.  Yet  so  far  were  their  efforts 
from  succeeding  as  they  thought,  that  all  this  on  the  contrary, 
turned  to  his  salvation.  How  many  of  such  like  instances 
could  we  now  bring  before  you!  Ruin  changed  into  deliver- 
ance, affliction  into  consolation,  by  the  miraculous  power  of 
the  hand  of  the  Most  High.  Fear  not,  then,  christian,  whatever 
may  be  the  rage  of  men  or  of  the  elements  against  you,  your 
Master  has  the  motion  of  every  creature  in  his  power,  and  you 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  71 

are  of  tlie  number  of  those  blessed  ones  to  whom  he  has  sworn 
that  no  weapon  forged  against  them  shall  prosper,  that  he  will 
make  them  walk  through  the  waters  and  through  the  flames 
without  being  injured  by  them  ;  that  all  the  furnaces  of  Baby- 
lon shall  not  have  power  to  scorch  one  of  the  hairs  of  their 
heads,  and  that  instead  of  burning  and  death,  they  should  find 
refreshment,  consolation,  and  life.  Then  afterwards,  vou  see 
further,  in  this  example  of  the  apostle,  that  the  salvation  of 
believers  is  certain,  and  their  perseverance  assured  :  "  I  shall 
(he  says)  in  nothing  be  ashamed,  and  Christ  shall  be  magnified 
in  my  body,  whether  by  life  or  by  death."  This  sovereign 
Shepherd,  to  whom  the  eternal  Father  has  given  his  elect, 
keeps  them  faithfully  as  the  apple  of  his  eye.  He  holds  them 
in  his  hand,  and  declares  aloud  that  no  force  shall  ever  draw 
them  thence.  I  acknowledge  he  does  not  promise  them  that 
they  shall  pass  their  lives  in  enjoyment,  or  even  free  from 
danger  and  incovenience  ;  or  that  the  hatred  of  men,  or  the  in- 
firmities of  nature,  shall  never  cause  them  to  die.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  freely  declares  to  them  that  tbey  shall  be  as  much  or 
more  subject  than  others  to  such  accidents,  and  that  the  pro- 
fession of  piety  will  burden  them  with  his  cross.  But  then  he 
promises  them  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  never  prevail  against 
them  ;  that  their  faith  shall  never  fail  ;  that  he  will  preserve 
his  peace  and  the  joy  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  their  hearts  in  the 
midst  of  the  most  horrible  trials  ;  and  that,  in  spite  of  the 
waves  and  the  winds  conspiring  against  them,  he  will  conduct 
them  into  the  haven  of  his  blessed  kingdom,  being  always  with 
them,  without  ever  leaving  them,  till  he  has  brought  them  into 
the  heavenly  Canaan.  Moreover,  Paul  here  shows  us  what  is 
the  cause  of  the  constancy  and  perseverance  of  believers  ;  not 
their  pretended  free-will,  or  the  strength  either  of  their  under- 
standing, or  of  their  own  inclination,  (unhappy  they  who  build 
on  so  moving  a  sand,  or  who  expect  their  firmness  from  a 
thing  so  weak  and  so  changeable,)  but  from  the  Holy  Ghost, 
who  stays  our  fickleness,  who  produces  in  us  the  power,  effica- 
ciously, to  will  and  to  do  according  to  his  good  pleasure  ;  the 
divine  Comforter,  alone  capable  of  inspiring  and  of  preserving 
in  our  minds  the  light  of  truth,  of  forming  and  of  maintaining 
in  our  wills  the  love  of  liberty,  of  breathing  into  our  hearts  the 
strength  and  resolution  necessary  to  support  us  to  the  end  in 
so  dangerous  a  combat,  in  which  we  have  the  world  and  hell 
opposed  to  us,  and  legions  of  infinitely  cunning,  violent,  and 
cruel  enemies  always  surrounding  and  seeking  opportunities 
to  ruin  us.  Believers,  who  labour  in  so  hazardous  a  warfare, 
have  recourse  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  renouncing  all  other  strength, 
call  day  and  night  upon  his  name  ;  ask  of  him  with  faith,  with 
tears,  and  with  sighs  his  heavenly  unction,  which  may  frame 
your  hands  for  the  battles  of  the  Eternal,  so  that  you  may  be 


72  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IV. 

able  to  stand  in  the  evil  day,  and  may  remain  victorious,  to 
receive  the  crown  of  glory  and  of  immortality  which  he  keeps 
for  us  in  the  heavens. 

We  have  now  to  learn,  in  the  fourth  place,  that  it  is  he  who 
is  the  depositary  of  the  Spirit.  The  apostle  calls  him  "the 
Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,"  not  only  because  he  proceeds  from  the 
Son  as  from  the  Father,  having  with  him  his  essence  from  all 
eternity  by  an  ineffable  and  incomprehensible  communication, 
but  also  because  the  Lord  Jesus  has  received,  at  his  rising 
from  the  tomb,  all  the  treasures  of  his  grace,  all  his  knowledge 
and  virtue,  to  be  for  ever  the  dispenser  of  them,  giving  to  each 
one  his  share  in  a  suitable  measure.  The  apostle  explains  this 
to  us  by  the  word  "  supply,"  which  he  uses  in  this  place, 
which  signifies  that  the  Lord  Jesus  supplies  us  out  of  that  ful- 
ness of  the  Spirit  which  he  possesses,  and  whose  source  is  in 
himself,  as  much  grace  as  we  need  to  direct  and  conduct  us, 
by  degrees,  to  perfection.  From  whence  it  appears,  as  the 
apostle  has  said  to  us  elsewhere,  Eom.  viii.  9,  "If  any  man 
have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his."  And  perhaps 
this  also  is  one  of  the  reasons  for  which  he  is  named  "  his  Spi- 
rit," because  he  is  never  without  him,  and  that  he  never  com- 
municates to  us  either  his  salvation  or  his  life  but  by  the  light 
of  his  Comforter,  in  such  a  way  that  it  is  not  possible  to  be  of 
the  number  of  his  members  without  having  some  portion  of 
this  Spirit. 

Further,  we  learn  from  hence  how  powerful  and  admirable 
are  the  prayers  of  the  church,  and  how  necessary  is  their  mutual 
interchange  and  assistance.  For  if  Paul,  that  great  apostle, 
so  advanced  in  the  ways  of  God,  did  not  despise  the  prayers 
of  the  Philippians  ;  what  do  I  say,  that  he  did  not  despise 
them  ?  if  he  prized  them  even  so  as  to  put  them  among  the 
means  of  his  salvation,  and  expected  from  their  power  a  part 
of  his  perseverance  ;  what  ought  we  to  do,  dearly  beloved 
brethren,  who  are  so  infinitely  below  him  ?  Let  us  then  ear- 
nestly pray  for  one  another  ;  let  not  your  greatness,  whatever 
it  may  be,  make  you  despise  an  aid  that  Paul  so  highly 
esteemed.  The  greater  you  are,  the  more  need  you  have  of  the 
prayers  of  the  less.  These  prayers  have  often  arrested  the 
scourges  of  God.  They  have  delivered  the  faithful  from  prisons, 
as  they  formerly  did  Peter.  They  have  rendered  the  conspi- 
racies of  Satan  against  the  soldiers  of  the  Lord  useless.  They 
have  drawn  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  upon  the  earth,  and  es- 
tablished by  his  power  that  which  was  about  to  fall.  But, 
dear  brethren,  if  we  ought  to  desire  this  help  from  the  faithful 
who  are  here  below,  that  is  not  saying  that  we  ought  to  invoke 
those  who  are  on  high  with  Jesus  Christ,  as  those  of  Home 
conclude  from  this  passage,  and  others  like  it.  As  for  believers 
who  are  on  earth,  we  see  them,  and  converse  with  them,  and 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  73 

know  that  they  hear  us  ;  and  besides  this,  we  have  in  the  scrip- 
ture both  the  order  and  example  of  requiring  the  help  of  their 
prayers  :  on  the  contrary,  the  dead  have  no  communication  with 
us,  and  the  Holy  Spirit  teaches  us  that  they  no  longer  "  know 
any  thing,"  (that  is  to  say,  of  what  is  done  upon  the  earth,) 
they  do  not  even  know  whether  or  not  their  sons  are  noble, 
their  eyes  see  not  the  evils  which  happen  to  the  places  where 
they  lived,  and  there  is  not  found  in  the  whole  scripture  any 
command  or  example  to  address  our  prayers  to  them.  In  truth, 
it  is  impossible  to  pray  to  them,  absent  from  us  as  they  are, 
without  attributing  to  them  some  species  of  divinity  ;  in  ima- 
gining that  they  see  all  that  is  done  in  the  world,  and  have 
even  a  knowledge  of  our  hearts;  a  quality  which  scripture 
attributes  to  God  alone,  exclusive  of  all  others.  Thus  it  is 
clear  that  the  requests  which  are  made  to  them  by  the  Roman- 
ists are  quite  of  another  nature  from  those  by  which  we  ask 
from  living  believers  the  help  of  their  prayers.  For  they 
prostrate  themselves  before  them  on  their  knees  ;  they  dedicate 
temples,  chapels,  and  oratories  to  them  ;  they  consecrate  images 
to  them,  to  which  they  make  vows,  and  pray  that  they  will 
defend  them  from  the  enemy,  that  they  will  cure  the  impro- 
prieties of  their  manners,  and  that  they  will  receive  their  souls 
at  the  hour  of  death  :  all  of  which  things  are  never  practised 
by  believers  towards  any  man  living  on  the  earth. 

But  I  return  to  the  apostle,  who  shows  us  clearly  by  his 
language  that  he  was  certainly  assured  of  his  salvation,  con- 
trary to  the  error  of  those  who  place  him  among  the  number 
of  their  doubters:  "I  know  (says  he)  that  this  trial  shall  turn 
to  my  salvation,  and  I  have  an  earnest  expectation,  and  a  hope, 
that  in  nothing  I  shall  be  ashamed,  and  that  Jesus  Christ  shall 
be  magnified  in  my  body,  whether  it  be  by  life,  or  by  death." 
How  did  he  know,  how  did  he  hope,  how  did  he  firmly  expect 
these  things,  if  he  were  not  assured  of  their  accomplishment  ? 
And,  once  more,  how  had  this  knowledge  produced  in  him 
that  joy  which  he  said  he  had  in  the  preceding  text,  if  it  had 
not  been  clear,  and  certain,  and  unmixed  with  any  doubt? 
He  speaks  elsewhere  of  it  in  the  same  manner:  "  I  have  fought 
the  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the 
faith,  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteous- 
ness, which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at  that 
day."  "  For  I  know  whom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded 
that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him 
against  that  day."  From  whence  it  appears  how  misplaced  are 
the  objections  made  against  the  assurance  of  salvation  which 
we  teach,  that  this  belief  chills  the  affections,  and  the  practice 
of  good  works — seeing  that  none  was  ever  more  ardent  than 
Paul,  who  was  so  entirely  persuaded  of  his  perseverance.  Let 
us  also  then,  dear  brethren,  cherish  this  farm  hope  in  our  hearts, 
10 


74  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IV. 

the  source  of  our  joy,  and  the  treasure  of  our  consolations.  I 
acknowledge  that  Paul  was  greater  than  we  are.  But  he  de- 
rived this  assurance  from  the  goodness  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
grace  of  his  Spirit,  which  is  common  to  us  with  him,  and  with 
all  believers,  and  not  from  his  greatness  and  his  personal  ad- 
vantages ;  and  as  he  here  says  that  he  firmly  expects  the  happy 
effects  of  his  salvation,  so  he  elsewhere  very  nobly  declares, 
speaking  of  all  true  believers,  "that  he  is  assured  that  neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor 
things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor 
any  other  creature,  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God, 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,"  Rom.  viii.  38,  39.  He  had 
already  observed,  in  the  same  chapter,  that  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord,  which  forms  and  conducts  our  perseverance,  bears  wit- 
ness with  our  spirit  that  we  are  the  children  of  God,  his  heirs, 
and  co-heirs  with  Jesus  Christ.  Now  if  we  are  armed  with 
this  confidence,  who  in  the  world  can  be  happier  than  we  shall 
be  ?  Neither  the  sorrows  of  life,  nor  the  horrors  of  death,  will 
occasion  us  any  fear.  We  shall  look  upon  the  good  things  of 
the  world  without  envy,  and  upon  its  ills  without  alarm,  being 
assured  that  neither  the  privation  of  the  one,  nor  the  suffering 
of  the  other,  can  prevent  our  being  eternally  happy.  But,  O 
faithful  soul,  learn  from  this  representation  of  the  apostle  that 
the  ruling  passion  of  your  heart  and  your  only  aim  ought  to 
be  to  magnify  the  Lord  Jesus.  May  every  thing  else  be  in- 
different to  you,  provided  that  you  succeed  in  this  glorious 
design.  Consider  your  sufferings  well  employed,  and  your 
disgraces  happy,  if  they  lead  to  that.  Possess  nothing,  either 
in  yourself,  or  out  of  yourself,  which  is  not  consecrated  to  this. 
Say  not,  as  some  hypocrites  and  worldly  people  do,  I  am  con- 
tented in  my  heart  and  in  my  mind  to  glorify  Jesus  Christ, 
although  the  outward  appearance  of  my  life  may  be  contrary 
to  his  will.  This  language  is  undoubtedly  false,  it  being  quite 
impossible  to  magnify  the  Lord  in  the  mind  whilst  he  is  dis- 
honoured in  the  body.  These  two  parts  of  our  being  are  too 
closely  united  for  us  to  be  able  to  serve  two  masters  at  one 
time.  But  though  this  pretended  separation  were  possible, 
(which  it  is  not,)  still  it  would  be  unjust  and  pernicious.  Un- 
just, because  it  would  deprive  our  body  of  its  highest  and  most 
precious  glory,  it  being  evident  that  this  poor  flesh  cannot  be 
more  honoured  than  in  being  employed  to  magnify  its  Creator 
and  Redeemer,  nor  more  debased  and  dishonoured  than  in 
offending  him.  But  this  division  would  also  be  pernicious, 
for  it  would  bring  upon  us  death  and  the  curse,  since  the 
Saviour  only  acknowledges  for  his  own  those  who  believe  on 
him  in  their  hearts,  and  confess  him  with  their  mouths,  and 
who  glorify  him  (as  the  apostle  elsewhere  says,  1  Cor.  vi.)with 
the  body  and  the  spirit,  which  both  belong  to  him.     Hence- 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  75 

forth  then,  dear  brethren,  let  us  carefully  imitate  the  apostle. 
May  the  Lord  Jesus  be  magnified  in  your  bodies  both  in  life 
and  death.  During  life,  clothe  them  with  the  ornaments  of  the 
Lord,  with  chastity,  purity,  honesty,  modesty,  and  humility. 
May  your  tongue  ever  speak  his  praises,  may  your  eyes  ever 
contemplate  his  wonders,  and  your  ears  ever  listen  to  his 
teaching;  may  your  feet  ever  run  in  his  paths,  your  hands 
labour  in  his  works  ;  may  your  persons  only  be  found  in  those 
places  and  in  those  companies  where  that  great  name  that  is 
named  upon  us  is  not  ill  spoken  of.  And  when  the  hour  of 
death  shall  come,  may  Christ  also  then  be  magnified  in  your 
body  by  a  holy  and  christian  patience,  by  a  gentle  and  humble 
submission  to  his  providence,  by  a  constant  confession  of  his 
truth  and  of  your  hope,  till  your  very  last  sigh,  whether  he 
calls  you  to  suffer  for  his  gospel's  sake,  or  takes  you  out  of  life 
by  some  other  means.  For  do  not  imagine,  I  beseech  you,  that 
it  is  only  in  the  prisons,  the  fetters,  or  the  fires  of  the  martyrs, 
that  the  Lord  is  magnified.  The  beds,  and  the  last  hours  of 
other  believers,  serve  also  to  his  glory,  when  they  show  to 
those  around  them  a  faith,  a  humility,  a  hope,  and  a  consola- 
tion worthy  of  the  profession  which  they  make.  Finally,  this 
example  of  the  apostle  teaches  us  further,  that  assurance  and 
boldness  are  the  true  means  of  glorifying  the  Lord.  Besides 
which,  those  effeminate  and  cowardly  beings,  who  waver  in  a 
shameful  irresolution,  debate  on  all  the  changes  of  the  earth 
and  air,  and  know  not  to  what  master  to  yield  themselves. 
These  are  the  lukewarm,  whom  the  Lord  threatens  to  eject  from 
his  mouth,  Eev.  iii.  6;  xxi.  8  ;  the  fearful,  whose  part  shall  be 
in  the  lake  that  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone.  These  are 
those  unhappy  beings  who  dishonour  Christ  in  the  highest  de- 
gree, and  who  most  cruelly  abuse  his  name.  Christian,  if  you 
truly  desire  to  magnify  him,  invest  yourself  with  the  heart  and 
the  strength  of  mind  of  the  apostle.  Confess  him  boldly,  and 
publish  his  glory  in  all  liberty,  always  ready  to  lose  every 
thing,  and  to  suffer  every  thing,  rather  than  betray  him. 

II.  But,  that  ye  may  have  more  affection  and  courage  to 
imitate  this  excellent  example  of  the  apostle,  let  us  now,  in 
the  second  place,  consider  the  reason  which  he  gives  us  for 
the  assurance  which  he  felt  of  never  being  ashamed,  either  in 
life  or  in  death:  "For  Christ  is  gain  to  me  living  or  dying." 
The  words  of  the  apostle,  as  they  are  couched  in  the  original, 
signify  simply,  word  for  word,  "  that  Christ  to  him  is  life,  and 
that  to  die  is  gain,"  and  all  ancient  interpreters,  and  the  greater 
part  of  the  modern,  have  thus  taken  them,  in  a  sense  suitable 
enough,  to  say  that  Jesus  Christ  is  his  true  life,  and  that  it  is 
only  in  him  and  for  him  that  he  lives,  according  to  what  he 
says  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  chap.  ii.  20,  "  I  am  cruci- 
fied with  Christ;  nevertheless  I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ 


76  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IV. 

liveth  in  me;  and  the  life  which  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live 
by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  him- 
self for  me."     And  as  to  death,  so  far  from  fearing  it,  or  es- 
teeming it  bad  and  hurtful,  he  considers   it,  on  the  contrary, 
a  gain,  an  advantageous  thing,  as,  instead  of  a  vile  and  perish- 
able life,  it  will  give  him  the  true  life,  which  is  glorious  and 
immortal.     But  this  text  being  also  capable  of  another  inter- 
pretation, namely,  that  Christ  is  gain  to  the  apostle  "  to  live 
and  to  die,"  our  Bibles  have  preferred  this  exposition  to  the 
other,  because  the  sense  which  it  gives  is  excellent  in  itself, 
and  has  a  more  just  and  entire  agreement  with  the  preceding 
text.     He  said  that  Christ  will   be  magnified  in   his   body, 
whether  by  life  or  death  ;   he  now  alleges  the  reason,  because 
Christ  is  gain  to  me  in  both,  that  is  to  say,  in  life  and  in  death. 
Christ  is  a  fruit,  a  profit,  and  an  advantage,  which  I  draw  both 
from  my  life  and  death,  in  such  a  way,  that  being  always  a 
gainer,  it  matters  little  to  me  which  God  sends  me,  whether 
life  or  death.     Finding  in  both  the  wages  and  the  acquisition 
to  which  I  look,  that  is  to  say,  Jesus  Christ  my  Saviour's  glo- 
ry, and  the  power  of  his  grace,  neither  the  one  nor  the  other 
can  frustrate  the  fruit  of  my  designs  and  my  desires.     From 
which  evidently  follows  the  conclusion  which  he  proposes  to 
draw,  that  is  to  say,  that  he  shall  never  be  ashamed  in  any 
thing.     For  as  his  present  trial  cannot  terminate  otherwise 
than  either  by  life  or  by  death,  and  as  he  found  his  advantage 
in  both  these  events,  you  see  clearly  that  it  was  not  possible 
that  this  trial  should  issue  in  his  shame,  nor  otherwise  than  to 
his  consolation  and  salvation.     As  to  the  rest,  this  language 
is  figurative,  and  derived  from  the  similitude  of  operations  in 
trade  and  commerce,  where  the  profit  which  results,  whether 
from  the  toil  or  industry,  which  has  been  employed  in  such 
occupations,  or  from  the  money  which  has  been  hazarded,  is 
properly  called  gain  ;  from  whence  the  apostle  takes  this  word 
to  express  fruit,  profit,  and  advantage,  and  says  in  like  man- 
ner "  to  gain,"  signifying  to  acquire  and  obtain  a  useful  and 
fruitful  thing  ;  as  afterwards,  in  the  third  chapter,  when  speak- 
ing of  the  worldly  advantages  which  he  had  formerly  had  in 
Judaism,  he  says,  that  "that  which  was  gain  to  him,"  that  is 
to  say,  which  was  advantageous  to  him,  he  had  counted  loss 
for  the  love  of  Christ,  and  had  given  it  up  voluntarily,  and 
esteems  it  no  more  than  dung,  "  that  I  may  win  Christ."    This 
figure  is  so  much  the  more  elegant,  as  our  Saviour  had  al- 
ready employed  commerce  for  an  image  of  the  conversion  of 
man  to  the  gospel,  and  of  the  excellent  advantages  which  ac- 
crued to  him  from  it:  "The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a 
merchantman  seeking  goodly  pearls,  who,  when  he  had  found 
one  pearl   of  great  price,  went  and  sold  all  that  he  had,  and 
bought  it,"  Matt.  xiii.  45,  46.     Paul  is  just  this  merchant,  and 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  77 

the  Lord  Jesus  is  the  pearl.     He  has  sold  all  to  get  it,  and  in 
it  alone  he  finds  a  thousand  times  more  happiness,  content- 
ment, and  profit,  than  every  thing  else  could  have  given  him. 
This  jewel  is  his  great  gain.     It  is  his  honour,  his  pleasure, 
and  his  riches  ;  and  what  other  men  seek  in  many  different 
subjects,  he  has  met  with  entirely  in  this  pearl  alone.     It  is 
for  it  that  he  loves  life,  that  he  may  tell  its  worth  to  other 
men,  and  publish  its  glory  to  the  world  ;  it  is  that  which  pre- 
vents his  fearing  death,  being  assured  that  if  death  should  take 
from  him  the  light  of  the  sun,  and  the  use  of  his  senses,  and 
the  other  portions  of  that  life  which  we  lead  here  below,  it 
never  could  deprive  him  of  the  possession  of  that  divine  pearl, 
infinitely  more  sweet  and  more  precious  than  either  the  lio-ht 
of  the  day,  or  the  enjoyment  of  the  rarest  and  most  beautiful 
things  in  this  world.     It  is  a  happiness  which  supported  him 
in  life,  and  which  did  not  forsake  him  in  death.     But  besides 
the  fruit  which  he  derived  from  it  himself,  for  his  own  good 
and  contentment,  he  made  this  admirable  jewel  profitable  for 
others,  communicating  to  them  both  the  knowledge  of  it  and 
its  possession.     For  there  is  this  difference  between  the  evan- 
gelical pearl,  and  those  of  the  world,  that  to  gain  in  the  traffic 
of  these  you  cannot  in  parting  with  them  yield  them  to  those 
to  whom  you   sell  them,  without  depriving  yourself  of  them. 
But  the  Lord  Jesus  will  not  cease  to  dwell  with  you,  whilst 
you  communicate  him  to  your  neighbours.     It  is  an  invisible 
and  inalienable  pearl,  which,  like  the  sun,  gives  itself  wholly 
to  all  believers,  and  remains  entire  in  each  of  them.     This 
multiplication  of  the  knowledge  and  enjoyment  of  the  Lord, 
when  it  is  shared  with  others,  and  his  glory  is  expanded  and 
increased  by  these  means,  is  also  one  of  the  principal  gains 
made  in  this  negotiation  of  the  gospel.     Hence  the  apostle 
elsewhere  uses  the  phrase,  "  to  gain  men,"  signifying  to  con- 
vert them,  and  lead  them  to  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ.     If  it 
be  a  gain  as  it  respects  Jesus  Christ,  who  by  this  means  ac- 
quires new  servants,  and  with  respect  to  the  believer,  who 
enters  into  the  possession  of  the  kingdom  of  God;  so  also  is 
it  a  gain  as  it  regards  him  who  converts  them  to  the  Lord, 
since  by  so  doing  he  acquires  a  brother  ;  besides  which,  he 
will  not  fail  to  receive  from  his  Master  for  it  the  praise  and 
the  reward  which  he  promises  to  those  who  faithfully  employ 
his  talents.     Paul  derived  all  these  advantages  from  his  Christ, 
both  in  life  and  death.     He  found  them  for  himself,  as  Christ 
was  his  righteousness,  his  sanctification,  and  his  consolation  in 
life  ;  his  happiness,  his  joy,  and  his  end  in  death.     He  found 
them  for  others,  as  life  and  death  gave  him  the  means,  the  one 
of  preaching,  the  other  of  sealing  the  gospel,  to  the  glory  of 
his  Master,  and  to  the  edification  and  conversion  of  men. 
This  is  what  he  means  when  he  says  that  Christ  is  gain  to  him 


78  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IV. 

living  and  dying.  O  holy  and  blessed  soul,  who  bearest  in 
thine  own  heart  Christ,  the  inexhausti  le  source  of  blessed- 
ness! Why  are  we  not  like  thee?  Why  have  we  not  in  our 
hearts  these  divine  fruits  of  life  and  of  joy  ;  this  heavenly  man- 
na, which  supports  and  preserves  us  always  happy  and  con- 
tented amidst  the  accidents  and  troubles  of  earth?  Beloved 
brethren,  it  is  our  own  fault  if  we  are  not  as  happy  as  the 
apostle,  if  Christ  is  not  gain  to  us  as  well  as  to  him,  both  liv- 
ing and  dying.  This  Christ,  the  sole  author  of  his  happiness, 
the  cause  and  matter  of  all  his  gain,  presents  himself  to  us 
every  day.  This  divine  pearl  is  not  hidden  on  the  coasts  of 
oriental  seas,  nor  shut  up  in  shells  from  whence  it  cannot  be 
extracted  but  with  difficulty,  to  see  and  possess  its  beauties. 
It  shows  itself  to  us  ;  it  seeks  us,  and  spreads  before  our  eyes 
all  the  wonders  and  perfections  of  its  nature.  If  we  have  it 
not,  like  the  apostle,  the  fault  is  ours,  and  not  his.  Poor 
worldlings,  so  greedy  of  gain,  that  ye  seek  it  in  the  most 
thorny  affairs,  among  the  most  dangerous  elements  and  coun- 
tries, who  give  your  lives  to  the  sea  and  to  the  winds,  and  to 
the  faith  of  men,  worse  and  more  treacherous  still  than  either 
the  sea  or  the  winds,  who  do  and  suffer  all  things,  even  the 
most  dishonest,  for  I  know  not  what  uncertain  profits  ;  how 
is  it  that  ye  despise  a  gain  so  great  and  so  certain  ?  In  the 
first  place,  ye  are  not  sure  whether  these  labours  which  ye 
give  yourselves  and  others  will  succeed.  Of  those  who  sail 
on  this  sea  under  such  hopes  more  than  half  are  lost,  and  we 
see  every  day  new  shipwrecks.  Instead  of  which,  if  you  seek 
Jesus  Christ,  you  are  assured  of  finding  him  ;  it  is  a  trade 
which  never  fails  of  success.  He  says,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye 
that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest," 
Matt.  xi.  28.  He  receives  all  men  ;  he  rejects  none  ;  and  there 
is  no  wind,  no  storm,  no  peril,  either  on  the  land  or  on  the 
sea,  which  can  prevent  your  coming  to  him.  He  is  present 
every  where  and  at  all  times.  He  comes  himself,  and  presents 
himself  before  us,  and  solicits  us  to  seek  him;  he  says,  "Be- 
hold, I  stand  at  the  door,  and  knock  ;  if  any  man  hear  my 
voice,  and  open  the  door,  I  will  come  in  to  him,  and  will  sup 
with  him,"  Eev.  iii.  20.  Now  it  is  a  very  uncertain  thing  that 
you  should  meet  in  the  world  the  treasures  or  the  goods  that 
you  seek  there,  but  it  is  a  very  certain  thing  that  you  will 
never  derive  from  aught  you  may  find  there  any  true  gain,  or 
any  profit  worthy  of  being  so  called.  Far  from  gaining,  when 
you  have  calculated  all,  and  compared  your  returns  with  your 
expenditure,  you  will  repent  of  your  folly,  in  having  lost  so 
much  time  and  trouble  to  acquire  so  little,  and  acknowledge 
that  these  commodities,  which  have  cost  you  so  much,  are  very 
far  from  being  worth  the  price  at  which  they  are  valued.  In- 
stead of  which,  in  Jesus  Christ  you  will  assuredly  find  an 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO    THE   PHILIPPIANS.  79 

inestimable  gain,  which  you  will  no  sooner  have  tasted  than 
you  will  be  delighted  with,  and  confess  that  he  alone  is  worth 
more  than  the  whole  universe  together.  For  suppose  that  you 
had  all  the  gold  of  Peru,  and  all  the  pearls  of  the  East,  with 
the  chiefest  honours  of  the  state,  and  the  highest  glory  that 
any  of  the  great  captains  and  lords  of  our  age  have  obtained  ; 
after  all,  would  you  be  either  the  better  or  the  more  hap- 
py? Would  your  mind  be  more  content,  or  your  body  more 
healthy  ?  Would  this  imaginary  blessedness  remove  the  trou- 
ble of  your  conscience?  Would  it  soften  the  vexations,  the 
fears,  the  avarice,  the  envy,  and  the  other  passions  of  your 
soul  ?  Would  it  heal  your  diseases  ?  Would  it  cure  you  of 
the  gout,  or  a  fever,  or  of  intense  pain  ?  Do  you  not  see,  on 
the  contrary,  that  there  are  no  persons  in  the  world  who  have 
more  care  and  less  repose  than  these  pretended  happy  people? 
that  distrust,  remorse,  regrets  for  the  past,  fears  for  the  future, 
envy,  uneasiness,  and  a  thousand  such-like  passions,  the 
scourges  of  humanity,  usually  nestle  in  their  hearts,  and  pre- 
serve themselves  there  night  and  day,  without  giving  them 
any  respite?  Their  bodies  also  are  much  more  subject  to 
diseases  than  those  of  others  ;  their  toil  and  their  continual 
luxury  bringing  upon  them  many  others  than  those  to  which 
our  common  nature  is  liable.  Great  and  tragical  misfortunes 
oftener  fall  on  their  houses,  as  the  thunder-bolt  on  the  sum- 
mits of  the  more  elevated  mountains,  or  upon  the  tower  or 
pinnacles  of  some  lofty  temple.  But  the  Lord  Jesus,  if  you 
receive  him  truly  and  faithfully  into  your  heart,  will  bring 
you  all  sorts  of  gains  and  advantages.  He  will  drive  away 
the  alarms  of  conscience,  and  the  fear  of  the  wrath  of  God, 
which  are  amongst  our  greatest  miseries.  Washing  you  in  his 
blood,  and  investing  you  with  his  righteousness,  he  will  give 
you  boldness  to  approach  the  throne  of  grace.  He  will  cause 
the  face  of  his  Father  to  shine  upon  you  in  joy  and  in  salva- 
tion ;  and  whereas  other  men  never  look  upon  him,  but  they 
behold  him  inflamed  with  a  terrible  and  devouring  fire,  which 
in  an  instant  scorches  up  whatever  joy  there  may  be  in  their 
miserable  souls,  you  will  there  see  continually  a  mild  and  ge- 
nial light,  which  will  shed  more  contentment  in  your  heart 
than  the  children  of  this  world  possess  in  the  time  of  their 
greatest  prosperity.  This  Jesus  will  deliver  you  from  the 
delusions  of  error,  and  will  show  you  the  true  and  simple  na- 
ture of  things,  and  will  fill  your  understanding  with  a  pure 
and  salutary  wisdom.  He  will  free  you  from  the  slavery  of 
sin,  the  cause  of  our  misery,  and  will  place  a  gentle  peace  in 
your  hearts,  by  chasing  from  them,  by  the  power  of  his  word 
and  of  his  Spirit,  that  infinite  brood  of  vain  lusts,  which,  like 
a  swarm  of  tyrants,  tear  you  continually,  and  hold  your  poor 
soul  in  a  state  of  lamentable   uneasiness.     And  with  respect 


80  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   IV. 

to  those  diseases  and  accidents  which  afflict  human  nature,  if 
he  should  permit  them  to  happen  to  you,  he  will  never  fail 
with  the  trial  to  give  you  strength  to  support  it,  perfecting 
his  power  in  your  weakness,  and  softening  in  such  a  way  your 
afflictions  by  the  unspeakable  consolations  of  his  Spirit,  that 
the  endurance  of  them  will  not  prevent  your  rejoicing  in  him  ; 
witness  this  Paul,  who,  with  his  chain,  and  in  the  midst  of  all 
the  persecutions  which  befell  him,  did  not  fail,  by  the  assistance 
of  his  Lord,  to  have  a  thousand  times  more  contentment  in 
the  secret  of  his  heart,  than  the  Neros,  the  Senecas,  the  princes 
and  the  philosophers  of  the  world,  with  all  the  vain-glory  of 
their  prosperity. 

But  if  even  the  things  of  the  world  did  bring  some  true  and 
solid  advantage  to  men,  still  it  is  evident  that  this  would  be 
but  for  a  very  short  period,  that  is  to  say,  for  a  few  miserable 
years,  however  much  might  be  extended  the  short  and  perish- 
able life  that  we  lead  on  the  earth.  Death  troubles  and  ends  all 
their  enjoyment,  whatever  it  might  be,  with  so  much  the  more 
grief  and  bitterness  in  proportion  to  the  ease  and  contentment 
that  they  have  found  here  below.  There  is  neither  grandeur, 
honour,  nor  glory  which  can  protect  them  from  this  sad  blow. 
If  these  things  are  gain  to  them  in  life,  still  it  is  very  certain 
that  they  are  not  so  in  death.  On  the  contrary,  there  are  none 
to  whom  this  passage  appears  more  frightful,  nor  who  have  so 
much  difficulty  in  meeting  it,  as  those  who  have  the  most  pos- 
sessed them.  But  this  same  Christ  who  is  gain  to  us  in  life  is 
also  gain  to  us  in  death.  He  takes  from  us  its  terror,  and, 
filling  our  hearts  with  a  holy  hope,  he  consoles  us  till  our  last 
sigh.  We  then  quit  all  our  other  possessions.  We  strip 
ourselves  even  of  this  body  with  its  senses,  which  made  a  part 
of  our  being.  But  for  all  that  we  do  not  lose  Jesus  Christ. 
This  good  and  merciful  Saviour,  who  has  governed  and  con- 
soled us  during  life,  accompanies  us  in  death.  He  walks  with 
us  in  that  dark  and  frightful  valley,  and,  in  dissipating  its  ob- 
scurity by  his  light,  conducts  us  with  his  crook  ;  and,  on  going 
out  of  this  miserable  world,  elevates  us  into  heaven,  where  he 
receives  our  souls  into  his  rest,  delivering  them  from  all  the 
evils  that  we  suffer  or  fear  here  below,  and  putting  them  into 
the  enjoyment  of  all  the  blessings  we  desire  or  hope  for. 
Thus,  behold,  dear  brethren,  how  Jesus  Christ  is  gain  to  us 
living  and  dying,  and  how,  out  of  him,  strictly  speaking, 
there  is  nothing  that  is  not  loss  to  us  both  in  life  and  in  death. 
For  there  is  no  middle  path  ;  we  must  gain  all  and  have  all 
with  him,  or  we  must  lose  all  out  of  him.  Let  us  then  give 
up  all  other  blessings,  and,  acknowledging  the  vanity  of  riches, 
honours,  and  pleasures,  the  great  idols  of  this  world,  let  us 
embrace  the  Lord  Jesus.  Let  us  lodge  him  in  our  heart  :  may 
this  be  our  part  and  our  inheritance.     Let  us,  individually, 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  81 

prepare  to  receive  him  on  Sunday  next,  with  the  fruits  of  his 
death  and  resurrection  which  he  presents  to  us  on  his  holy 
table.  Let  us  wash  our  souls  from  all  filth  and  impurity  ;  and 
let  us  clothe  them  with  an  ardent  faith,  a  lively  repentance, 
and  a  true  charity  ;  that  he  may  willingly  enter  in  to  us,  that 
he  may  delight  himself  there,  and  remain  there  for  ever  for  our 
gain,  both  in  life  and  in  death,  in  this  world  and  in  that  which 
is  to  come.  To  him,  with  the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  one 
true  God,  blessed  for  evermore,  be  honour  and  glory  for  ever 
and  ever.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  Palm  Sunday,  1st  April,  1640. 


SERMON  V. 

verse  22 — 26. 


But  if  I  live  in  the  flesh,  this  is  the  fruit  of  my  labour  :  yet  what 
I  shall  choose  I  wot  not.  For  I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt  two, 
having  a  desire  to  depart,  and  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far 
better  :  nevertheless  to  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  needful  for  you. 
And  having  this  confidence,  I  know  that  I  shall  abide  and  con- 
tinue with  you  all  for  your  furtherance  and  joy  of  faith  ;  that 
your  rejoicing  may  be  more  abundant  in  Jesus  Christ  for  me 
by  my  coming  to  you  again. 

The  fear  of  death  is  one  of  those  passions  which  is  most 
troublesome  to  the  minds  of  men  ;  so  that  the  apostle  says,  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  it  is  by  it  that  they  are  subjected 
to  the  service  of  Satan.  This  wretched  apprehension  makes 
them  do  and  suffer  an  infinity  of  things  contrary  both  to  the 
excellence  of  their  nature,  and  to  the  dictates  of  their  con- 
science ;  and  keeps  their  minds  in  a  continual  state  of  dis- 
quietude. But  if  death  appears  to  them  hideous,  their  life  is 
not  so  agreeable  but  that  they  oftentimes  hate  it  as  much  as 
death  itself;  witness  the  number  of  persons  who,  in  their  fury, 
have  violently  deprived  themselves  of  it,  finding  it  so  insup- 
portable, that  they  have  been  unable  to  wait  with  patience 
until  nature  should  come  and  deliver  them  from  their  miseries. 
These  passions  which  are  so  different,  the  one  against  death, 
the  other  against  life,  proceed  both  from  the  same  source,  from 
that  ignorance  into  which  sin  has  plunged  us,  shrouding  us  as 
in  a  thick  night,  in  the  darkness  of  which  every  thing  that  we 
meet  causes  alarm,  because  we  know  not  what  it  is.  But  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  has  discovered  to  our  senses, 
11 


82  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  V. 

in  the  holy  light  of  the  gospel  which  he  has  spread  abroad  in 
the  world,  the  true  nature  of  these  things,  that  life  is  not  so 
unhappy  that  we  ought  to  fly  from  it,  nor  death  so  terrible 
that  we  should  fear  it.  They  have  each  their  use  ;  and  the  be- 
liever who  knows  what  Jesus  Christ  has  taught  us,  so  feels  and 
apprehends  what  there  is  in  them  of  evil,  that  he  also  desires 
and  possesses  what  they  have  of  good,  and  gathers  from  among 
these  sad  and  piercing  thorns  with  which  they  are,  as  it  were, 
bristled,  those  flowers  and  fruits  which  the  cross  of  his  Lord 
forces  them  to  bear  in  spite  of  themselves.  Possessed  of  the 
faith  and  hopes  of  his  divine  Master,  he  is  neither  ashamed  to 
live,  nor  fears  to  die  ;  as  St.  Ambrose,  one  of  the  most  famous 
teachers  of  the  church,  said  in  the  last  moments  of  his  life. 
The  apostle  presents  us  to-day,  my  brethren,  in  the  text,  which 
you  have  just  heard,  a  fine  example  of  this  holy  and  happy 
condition  of  the  christian  soul,  which  neither  hates  life  nor 
death,  which  finds  its  advantage  in  both,  and  knows  how  to 
enjoy  each.  For  having  said  before  (as  you  may  remember) 
that  Christ  was  gain  to  him  living  and  dying,  he  now  declares 
to  us  the  thought  and  feeling  of  his  mind  in  regard  to  these 
two  things  ;  protesting,  that  if  he  were  to  choose,  it  would  be 
difficult  for  him  to  decide  which  he  should  take,  finding  him- 
self, in  a  manner,  suspended  and  balanced  between  two  dif- 
ferent desires,  that  of  his  own  good,  and  the  welfare  of  the 
church  ;  for  if  death  was  an  advantage  to  him  by  elevating 
him  to  heaven,  his  life  was  useful  to  the  church  by  the  great 
edification  that  men  received  from  his  ministry.  "  But  if  I 
live  in  the  flesh,  (says  he,)  this  is  the  fruit  of  my  labour  :  yet 
what  I  shall  choose  I  wot  not.  For  I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt 
two,  having  a  desire  to  depart,  and  be  with  Christ,  which  is 
far  better:  nevertheless  to  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  needful 
for  you."  But  what  he  could  not  himself  resolve  by  his  own 
judgment,  he  adds,  that  God  had  decided  in  the  favour  and  to 
the  advantage  of  the  Philippians  and  of  other  believers,  having 
ordained  that  he  should  still  remain  on  earth  to  complete  the 
work  of  his  apostleship.  "And  having  this  coniidence,  I 
know  that  I  shall  abide  and  continue  with  you  all  for  your 
furtherance  and  joy  of  faith  ;  that  your  rejoicing  may  be  more 
abundant  in  Jesus  Christ  for  me  by  my  coming  to  you  again." 
This  is  the  subject  to  which  we  wish  to  call  your  attention  my 
brethren,  in  this  discourse;  and,  that  we  may  proceed  in  an 
orderly  manner,  we  will  consider  two  points,  if  it  please  the 
Lord.  The  first  shall  be,  the  irresolution  of  the  apostle, 
which  of  the  two  would  be  most  expedient  for  him,  whether 
death  or  life,  with  the  two  reasons  on  which  it  was  founded. 
The  second,  the  assurance  which  he  gives  of  his  deliverance 
still  to  live  upon  the  earth,  and  to  exercise  there  his  ministry 
to  the  joy  and  glory  of  believers. 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  83 

I.  He  says  then,  in  the  opening  verse,  that  he  does  not  know 
whether  it  would  be  profitable  for  him  to  live  in  the  flesh,  nor 
which  of  the  two  he  should  choose.  Now  these  two  modes  of 
speech,  "  to  live  according  to  the  flesh,"  and,  "  to  live  in  the 
flesh,"  though  they  vary  but  little  in  words,  differ  greatly  in 
their  meaning.  For  in  the  writings  of  the  apostle,  "  to  live 
according  to  the  flesh,"  signifies  to  follow  after  its  filthy  and 
unholy  lusts,  to  pursue  and  have  them  for  the  principles  and 
motives  of  life,  a  course  which  belongs  only  to  worldly  men, 
who,  not  being  regenerated  by  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  lead 
a  carnal  and  animal  life,  plunging  into  every  vice,  and  not  re- 
fusing their  sensual  souls  any  of  those  enjoyments  which  they 
desire.  But  "  to  live  in  the  flesh  "  simply  speaks  of  living  in 
this  mortal  and  corruptible  body,  such  as  it  is  now,  which  ap- 
plies also  to  believers  while  they  are  sojourning  on  earth,  and 
before  they  can  be  admitted  to  that  heavenly  life  which  they 
expect  from  the  grace  of  God,  on  leaving  this  valley  of  tears. 
For  you  know  that  the  scripture  gives  the  name  of  "flesh" 
not  only  to  a  vicious  nature  corrupted  by  sin,  but  also  to  an 
infirm  nature,  which  for  its  preservation  requires  the  aliments 
of  the  earth,  and  which  is  subject  to  the  accidents  of  this  world 
and  to  death,  however  freed  it  may  be  from  the  tyranny  of  sin, 
by  the  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  from  on  high.  Hence  the 
human  nature  of  the  Lord  himself,  although  perfectly  holy,  is, 
nevertheless,  called  flesh,  whilst  it  was  in  the  state  of  infirmity, 
as  when  John  says,  that  "  the  Word  was  made  flesh,"  chap.  i. 
14;  and  Paul,  that  "God  was  manifest  in  the  flesh,"  1  Tim. 
iii.  16  :  the  time  of  his  sojourn  on  earth  is  called  in  the  Epistle 
to  the  Hebrews  "  the  days  of  his  flesh."  As  then  the  nature 
of  believers  remains  under  these  infirmities  whilst  they  live 
here  below,  not  being  unclothed  till  their  departure  from  the 
earth,  you  see  that  it  is  with  good  reason  thatthe  apostle  speaks 
of  "  their  life  in  the  flesh,"  and  which  Peter  calls,  for  another 
reason,  "the  time  of  their  sojourning  here,"  1  Pet.  i.  17.  Paul 
again  employs  these  words  elsewhere  in  the  same  sense,  when 
he  says,  "And  the  life  that  I  now  live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by 
the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,"  Gal.  ii.  20.  And  Peter  calls  also 
in  the  same  manner,  and  for  the  same  reason,  that  period  which 
we  have  still  to  live  upon  the  earth,  "  the  time  which  remains 
to  us  in  the  flesh,"  1  Pet.  iv.  2.  And  from  thence  comes  that 
beautiful  and  elegant  opposition  that  the  apostle  makes  in 
2  Cor.  x.  3,  "  For  though  we  walk  in  the  flesh,  we  do  not  war 
after  the  flesh."  But  (you  will  say  to  me)  how  could  Paul 
know,  as  he  says,  that  there  would  be  an  advantage  for  him  to 
live  in  the  flesh,  whereas  he  declared  before,  that  Jesus  Christ 
would  be  magnified  in  his  body,  whether  by  life  or  by  death, 
and  that  Christ  was  gain  to  him,  living  or  dying;  and  seeing 
still  further,  what  he  adds  below,  that  his  stay  on  the  earth 


84  AN"  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  V. 

would  serve  for  the  furtherance,  and  faith,  and  joy,  and  glory 
of  believers?  What  fund  can  be  imagined  more  profitable 
than  a  life  which  produced  in  abundance  such  excellent  fruits  ? 
Dear  brethren,  the  difficulty  is  not  great.  To  speak  only  of 
the  life  which  this  great  apostle  led  on  the  earth,  and  to  con- 
sider it  abstractedly,  it  is  certain  that  it  was  extremely  profit- 
able, both  to  others  and  to  himself;  those  services  in  which  it 
was  passed  being  such,  that  they  could  not  be  exercised  with  a 
good  conscience,  without  bringing  great  advantages  to  him  who 
rendered  them  to  others  ;  peace  and  joy  of  mind  during  this 
life,  and  a  crown  of  righteousness  in  the  other.  But  it  is  not 
in  this  manner  that  Paul  considers  here  his  temporal  life.  He 
has  compared  it  with  another  state,  that  is  to  say,  with  one  into 
which  he  would  enter  by  death,  and  asks,  not  simply  if  life  or 
death  would  be  profitable  to  him,  (for  he  had  just  declared  that 
both  in  the  one  and  the  other  there  was  gain  to  him,)  but  rather 
which  of  the  two  would  be  most  expedient,  whether  to  live  or 
to  die  ;  to  shed  his  blood  in  the  chains  of  Nero,  or  to  escape 
from  those  chains  ;  to  bow  under  this  persecution,  or  to  be  de- 
livered from  it  ?  And  that  it  was  thus  appears  from  what  he 
said  in  the  preceding  verse,  "  Christ  is  gain  to  me  to  live  or  to 
die,"  where  he  makes  express  mention  of  these  two  things, 
which  he  compares  together,  namely,  life  and  death,  in  such  a 
manner,  that  saying,  in  continuation,  "  Now  whether  it  be  pro- 
fitable for  me  to  live  in  the  flesh  I  wot  not,"  it  is  evident  that 
his  thought  is,  "  Now  whether  it  be  better  for  me  to  live  in  the 
flesh  than  to  die  I  know  not."  But  what  he  adds  leaves  us  no 
reason  to  doubt  it,  "  What  I  shall  choose  I  wot  not,"  it  being 
clear  that  there  can  be  no  choice  where  there  is  but  one  thing. 
He  does  not  then  speak  of  life  alone,  but  of  life  compared 
with  death,  saying  that  he  did  not  know  which  of  the  two  to 
choose.  Upon  which  arises  a  new  difficulty.  For  choice  or 
election  can  only  take,  place  in  those  things  which  depend  on 
one's  own  will,  and  of  which  we  can,  if  it  seem  good  to  us, 
take  the  one,  and  leave  the  other.  As  to  those  things  whose 
necessary  causes  are  out  of  ourselves,  in  nature  and  in  the 
power  of  God,  as  we  do  not  deliberate  about  them,  still  less 
can  we  make  the  election  ;  seeing  that  neither  the  powers  of 
our  understanding,  nor  the  motions  of  our  will,  can  either 
hasten  or  retard  their  effect.  For  example,  no  one  deliberates 
which  will  be  best,  that  the  autumn  be  dry  or  wet,  that  he  may 
resolve  in  the  end  to  take  the  one  of  these  two  things  rather 
than  the  other,  it  being  evident  that  they  both  depend  on 
heaven,  and  not  on  us,  so  that  it  would  be  a  piece  of  pure  ex- 
travagance to  reason  or  to  exercise  the  mind  thereupon.  Now 
the  life  and  death  of  the  apostle  were  things  of  this  nature, 
which  depended  not  en  his  will,  but  on  the  providence  of  God, 
and  on  those  inferior  causes  which  he  had  established  as  well 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  85 

in  the  nature  as  in  the  intercourse  of  men.  How  then  does  he 
say  that  he  does  not  know  which  of  the  two  he  should  choose, 
whether  to  live  in  the  flesh,  or  to  leave  it  ?  In  truth,  a  frail 
and  carnal  man  thinks  that  on  such  occasions  he  has  much  on 
which  to  deliberate,  whether  he  ought  to  die  rather  than  deny 
the  gospel,  so  that  his  life  or  death  depending  on  his  giving  it 
up  or  confessing  it,  which  are  voluntary  actions,  one  might  say 
of  such  a  man,  that  he  is  employed  in  choosing  between  life 
and  death.  But  it  was  not  thus  with  the  apostle  ;  he  is  resolved 
rather  to  die  a  thousand  times  than  to  deny  his  Master,  and 
means,  that  if  he  lives,  it  will  be  in  retaining  the  faith  and 
confession  of  the  gospel  ;  and  that  taken  for  granted,  it  is  clear 
that  his  life  and  death  did  not  at  all  depend  on  his  own  will. 
I  acknowledge  further,  that  according  to  the  opinion  of  some 
among  the  wise  pagans,  who  permitted  men  to  kill  themselves 
that  they  might  get  rid  of  the  miseries  of  this  world,  a  man 
might  deliberate  on  his  life  or  death,  because  that  being  granted 
we  should  have  both  in  our  own  hands  and  in  our  own  power. 
But  God  forbid  that  it  should  ever  have  entered  into  the  mind 
of  Paul,  or  of  any  other  true  christian,  to  believe  or  to  au- 
thorize so  unnatural  a  frenzy,  guilty  in  so  many  ways  of  re- 
bellion and  disobedience  against  God,  of  injustice  towards  our 
neighbour,  of  murder  and  cruelty  against  ourselves,  and  finally, 
of  great  impatience  and  cowardice,  in  not  being  able  to  sup- 
port what  the  sovereign  Lord  of  the  universe  has  commanded 
us  to  suffer.  What,  then,  does  the  apostle  mean  by  saying  that 
he  does  not  know  which  of  the  two  he  ought  to  choose,  whether 
life  or  death  ?  Dear  brethren,  I  reply,  he  was  in  doubt  to  de- 
termine and  to  resolve,  not  the  effect,  but  the  desire  of  these 
two  things.  He  left  the  guidance  of  their  effect  to  God,  to 
whom  it  belonged,  resolved  to  take  from  his  hand  all  that  was 
wearisome  to  him,  if  even  it  should  be  the  thing  the  most  con- 
trary to  his  own  wishes.  He  only  looked  at  which  of  these 
two  events  (which  were  both  in  the  hand  of  God  alone)  would 
be  most  expedient  and  advantageous  to  him,  that  he  might  in 
future  arrest  and  fix  his  desires  upon  it.  For  though  those  ef- 
fects which  have  their  causes  beyond  us  are  not  in  our  power, 
it  is  not  forbidden  us  to  consider  their  nature,  and  to  fear  or 
desire  them,  according  as  they  are  good  or  evil.  If  these  are 
things  nearly  or  even  entirely  equal,  in  that  case  we  know  not 
on  which  side  to  incline  our  desires,  reasons  presenting  them- 
selves in  favour  of  both,  which  draw  them  to  itself.  Our 
mind  remains  balanced  between  the  two,  as  a  piece  of  iron 
between  two  magnets  of  equal  strength.  For  it  is  very  cer- 
tain (as  even  philosophy  has  acknowledged)  that  we  only 
love  and  desire  any  thing  for  the  good  that  we  see  in  it. 
That  idea  alone  touches  and  attracts  our  will,  so  that  when 
we  do  not  perceive  in  one  object  more  good  than  in  another, 


86  AN  EXPOSITION   OP  [SERM.  V. 

our  feelings  necessarily  remain  undecided  and  irresolute,  divi- 
ding themselves  between  both,  without  yielding  entirely  to 
either.  This  is  what  happened  to  the  holy  apostle  Avhen  con- 
sidering the  two  contrary  issues  that  his  imprisonment  might 
have,  that  is  to  say,  either  life  or  death  ;  he  found  in  these  two 
objects,  in  themselves  so  different,  such  equal  advantages,  that 
he  knew  not  which  of  the  two  he  ought  the  more  or  the  less  to 
desire,  his  mind  remaining  so  undecided  thereupon,  that  if  God 
had  left  either  event  in  his  own  choice,  he  would  have  had  much 
trouble  to  decide  which  he  ought  to  take.  And  this  is  exactly 
all  that  the  apostle  means  by  these  words,  "  I  wot  not  what  I 
shall  choose."  He  then  afterwards  proposes  to  us  in  the  two 
following  verses  the  reasons  for  such  admirable  indecision  : 
"  For  I  am  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  desire  to  depart, 
and  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better  :  nevertheless  to  abide 
in  the  flesh  is  more  needful  for  you."  Here  are  the  two  load- 
stones which  held  this  holy  soul  in  suspense,  the  one  attract- 
ing it  towards  heaven,  the  other  detaining  it  on  earth.  His 
own  good  made  him  desire  to  be  with  Christ,  that  of  the  church 
obliged  him  to  be  contented  to  remain  still  among  men.  If 
he  lpved  his  own  happiness,  he  no  less  cherished  the  happi- 
ness and  edification  of  the  church.  These  two  desires  divided 
his  compassion.  The  one  could  only  be  accomplished  in  hea- 
ven, the  other  on  earth.  The  apostle  could  only  attain  to  the 
enjoyment  of  the  first  by  death,  whilst  the  other  could  alone 
be  gratified  by  remaining  on  earth.  What  shall  I  do,  (says 
he,)  and  which  shall  I  choose,  in  so  difficult  a  dilemma?  I 
have  great  reason  to  wish  for  death,  but  I  have  no  less  reason 
not  to  refuse  to  live.  If  I  consider  myself,  the  happiness 
which  awaits  me  on  high  with  my  Lord  makes  me  desire  to 
leave  the  earth.  But  when  I  think  of  you,  your  interest,  which 
is  not  less  dear  to  me  than  my  own,  makes  me  wish  to  remain 
still  with  you.  My  heart  is  not  at  liberty,  and  on  whichever 
side  it  turns  its  desires,  it  there  finds  a  just  and  legitimate  re- 
sistance. You  hinder  it  from  taking  its  flight  entirely  to  the 
skies  ;  and  Christ,  who  is  in  the  heavens,  prevents  its  remain- 
ing exclusively  on  the  earth.  Thus  divided  between  you  and 
myself,  I  do  not  decidedly  wish  either  for  death  or  life,  your 
necessities  preventing  the  one,  and  my  own  happiness  not  per- 
mitting me  the  other  ;  but  I  regard  them  both  with  an  indif- 
ferent mind,  which  finds  satisfaction  in  both  the  accomplish- 
ment of  my  own  happiness  in  death,  and  the  edification  and 
joy  of  your  faith  in  life:  this  is,  in  a  word,  the  thought  of  the 
apostle. 

Let  us  consider  the  two  parts  in  particular  :  First,  that  he 
says  he  is  in  a  strait  between  two  difficulties,  shows  us  how 
false  and  vain  is  that  weak  and  languid  turn  which  some  give 
to  its  meaning,  when  they  say  that  it  always  left  to  the  will  the 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  87 

imaginary  liberty  that  they  attribute  to  him  of  yielding  him- 
self to  either  of  these  proposed  things.  I  acknowledge  that  we 
desire  and  choose  things  voluntarily,  but  I  also  maintain  that 
we  do  that  also  necessarily.  Knowledge  arrests  and  leads  cap- 
tive the  will,  as  the  apostle  speaks  here  and  elsewhere,  when 
he  says,  "  The  love  of  Christ  constrains  us,"  2  Cor.  v.  14.  It 
is  by  gentle  and  human  ties,  I  confess,  but  nevertheless  they 
are  ties.  Then  afterwards  Paul  makes  us  here  understand 
very  clearly  that  death  does  not  destroy  our  souls,  (as  say  the 
ungodly,)  but  only  detaches  them  from  the  body,  so  that  they 
still  live  after  being  so  separated.  That  he  wished  to  be  un- 
clothed evidently  shows  it  ;  for  he  could  not  have  wished  a 
total  and  entire  destruction  of  his  being.  The  word  itself 
which  he  employs  to  signify  death  necessarily  proves  it.  This 
word  has  been  explained  in  two  ways.  Some  have  taken  it  to 
mean  "  to  be  dissolved."  Others,  whose  explanation  our  Bi- 
bles have  followed,  say  it  is  "  to  be  unclothed."  But  in  either 
sense  it  evidently  is  conclusive  of  the  immortality  of  the  soul. 
For  "to  be  dissolved"  signifies  to  disjoin  and  separate  two 
things  which  subsisted  together;  so  that,  if  you  follow  this 
meaning,  the  apostle  teaches  us  by  the  word  that  death  only 
detaches  our  souls  from  our  bodies,  disuniting,  without  abol- 
ishing, the  parts  of  which  they  consisted.  But  if  you  take  the 
word  here  employed  to  mean  "to  dislodge,"  (as  in  truth  this 
meaning  is  more  suitable  to  it  than  the  other,)  then  it  is  still 
more  evident  that,  according  to  the  doctrine  of  the  apostle,  the 
believer  does  not  perish  when  he  dies  ;  he  only  changes  his 
dwelling,  he  only  leaves  this  earthly  tabernacle,  in  which  he 
has  lodged  on  earth,  to  go  and  dwell  elsewhere.  In  the  third 
place,  besides  the  existence  of  the  believing  soul  after  death, 
the  apostle  here  teaches  us  its  state  and  condition,  and  in  these 
two  or  three  words  overthrows  all  that  the  ancients  and  the 
moderns  have  imagined  on  this  subject  contrary  to  truth. 
First  he  refutes  the  dream  of  those  who  hold  that  souls  on 
leaving  the  body  are  plunged  into  a  state  of  insensibility,  their 
reason  and  other  faculties  remaining  motionless,  as  if  buried 
in  a  profound  sleep,  till  the  day  of  the  resurrection,  when  they 
will  awake,  and  not  before,  as  these  persons  take  for  granted. 
Paul,  on  the  contrary,  declares  that  being  dislodged  here,  we 
are  with  Christ.  How  with  Christ,  the  source  of  light,  life, 
and  motion  itself,  if  we  remain  in  so  sad  a  picture  of  death  ? 
And  further,  if  it  be  so,  how,  and  by  what  right,  could  the 
apostle  say  that  it  was  much  better  for  him  to  be  with  Christ 
than  to  live  on  the  earth  ?  Who  does  not  see  that  his  conver- 
sation here  below,  which  was  so  full  of  sense,  wisdom,  and  ac- 
tion, was  not  worth  a  thousand  times  more  than  the  imaginary 
sleep  in  which  these  people  would  drown  our  souls,  which,  to 
say  the  truth,  is  nothing  but  a  death  ?     But  the  apostle  no  less 


88  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  V. 

overthrows  the  error  of  those  who,  leaving  life  and  motion  to 
believing  souls,  keep  them  from  heaven,  shut  up  in  I  know 
not  what  sort  of  a  place,  either  under  the  earth  or  in  the  air, 
waiting  for  the  day  of  resurrection.  Although  this  fantasy 
has  had  on  its  side  the  great  authors  of  antiquity,  in  which 
they  have  been  followed  by  the  greater  number  of  those  first 
and  most  celebrated  teachers  who  are  called  "the  fathers,"  nev- 
ertheless it  cannot  stand  with  this  text  of  the  apostle,  which 
testifies  clearly  that  the  believer,  on  leaving  the  body,  goes  to 
be  with  the  Lord,  and  that,  on  the  contrary,  we  are  with  the 
Lord  when  we  are  parted  from  these  bodies.  Since  then  the 
Lord  is  in  heaven,  who  does  not  see  that  we  shall  be  there 
also,  and  that  that  blessed  sanctuary  of  immortality  is  the  true 
home,  in  which  our  spirits  are  received  on  their  departure 
from  the  body  ?  From  which  you  see,  to  remark  in  passing, 
that  the  scripture  of  God  is  the  only  source  from  whence  we 
ought  to  draw  our  faith,  this  example  showing  us  that  all  other 
authors,  however  praiseworthy  they  may  be,  are  liable  to  fall 
into  error,  and  may  draw  us  in  after  them,  if  we  follow  them. 
But  these  words  of  the  apostle  are  no  less  opposed  to  the  state 
in  which  the  Romanists  place  the  souls  of  the  faithful  on  leav- 
ing this  life.  For  after  being  dislodged  from  the  body,  the 
apostle  shows  us  that  they  are  with  the  Lord,  and  consequently 
not  in  their  fabulous  purgatory,  as  they  themselves  confess 
that  the  Lord  is  not  in  this  imaginary  place,  but  in  heaven, 
according  to  the  teaching  of  scripture.  It  proves  nothing  to 
allege  that  Paul  was  of  the  number  of  those  who,  not  having 
any  remains  of  sin  to  be  purged,  went  straight  to  heaven. 
For,  in  the  first  place,  supposing  that  it  was  really  so,  still  he 
was  not  all  certain  of  it,  according  to  the  Romish  doctrine, 
which  will  not  allow  that  any  man  living  here  below  can  be 
assured  of  being  now  in  the  grace  of  God,  much  less  of  perse- 
vering in  it  to  the  end.  And  they  themselves  say  sometimes 
that  Paul  was  not  certain  of  not  going  to  hell,  much  less  that 
he  was  not  sure  that  he  should  not  pass  into  purgatory.  If 
that  were  the  case,  he  must  have  feared,  according  to  their  sup- 
position, that  he  should  go  into  this  subterranean  prison. 
Notwithstanding  which,  he  here  speaks  of  being  assured  of 
going  to  heaven  with  Jesus  Christ  when  he  should  leave  the 
earth.  Certainly  then  he  neither  believed  nor  feared  their  pur- 
gatory, and  consequently  held  quite  another  doctrine  than 
theirs  on  the  state  of  the  soul  on  its  departing  this  life.  Add 
to  which,  the  apostle  often  speaks  of  himself  as  one  of  those 
who  was  not  yet  perfected  ;  so  that,  not  ceasing  to  hope  with 
assurance  that  he  should  be  with  the  Lord  as  soon  as  he  should 
have  parted  with  his  body,  he  shows  us  by  the  same  means, 
that  such  also  shall  be  the  condition  of  all  believing  souls  who 
have  embraced  the  gospel  with  a  lively  and  sincere  faith,  as 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIAN3.  89 

well  as  of  those  whose  faith  is  feeble  and  imperfect.  After  all, 
the  scripture  makes  no  difference  among  the  disciples  of  the 
Lord,  as  it  respects  their  salvation  at  the  end  of  this  life.  As 
they  have  had  the  same  causes  for  it  in  this  world,  it  gives  it  the 
same  effects  in  the  other,  and  no  where  tells  us  that  they  will  be 
purged  from  their  sins,  some  in  one  way,  and  some  in  another,  but 
all  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  alone.  It  makes  all  who  die  in 
the  Lord  (of  which  it  speaks)  pass  from  earth  to  heaven,  and 
from  the  flesh  immediately  to  glory  ;  and  says  of  us  all  in 
general,  that  if  our  earthly  habitation  of  this  building  be  de- 
stroyed, we  have  a  building  of  God,  that  is  to  say,  a  house  not 
made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.  If  some  among  be- 
lievers had  been  otherwise  treated,  scripture  would  not  have 
failed  to  have  told  us  so  ;  but  as  it  does  not,  let  us  reject,  be- 
loved brethren,  all  these  vain  opinions,  arising  from  supersti- 
tion and  the  curiosity  of  men,  fomented  by  their  avarice,  and 
supported  entirely  by  obstinacy.  Let  us  hold  fast  the  doctrine 
of  Paul.  Let  us  be  contented  with  what  he  has  taught  us, 
that  if  we  are  truly  christians,  our  souls,  on  being  dislodged 
from  their  earthly  tabernacle,  will  be  received  into  heaven  ; 
that  they  will  be  with  Christ  their  Lord  in  the  light  of  his 
blessed  kingdom,  enjoying  all  the  felicity  of  which  their  na- 
ture is  capable  in  such  a  state,  waiting  with  sweet  and  ineffa- 
ble content  the  great  day  which  will  restore  them  those  bodies, 
their  precious  half,  to  live  and  reign  eternally.  It  is  of  that 
state  that  we  can  truly  say  with  the  apostle,  that  it  would  be 
much  better  for  us  than  the  one  in  which  we  languish  here. 
As  to  the  insensibility,  or  to  the  darkness  of  I  know  not  what 
sort  of  subterranean  caverns,  it  is  certain  that  it  speaks  of 
nothing  of  the  kind,  and  still  less  of  the  flames  of  the  pre- 
tended purgatory,  as  vivid  as  those  of  hell,  if  we  are  to  be- 
lieve the  Romish  fables,  and  I  do  not  think  that  there  is  one 
among  the  holders  of  these  doctrines  who  would  not  greatly 
prefer  to  live  on  earth,  to  being  burned  in  such  a  fire  as  they  im- 
agine that  to  be.  But  as  to  the  condition  of  our  souls  with 
the  Lord,  where  is  he  who  cannot  see  that  it  must  be  infinitely 
more  happy  than  all  that  we  can  imagine  of  happiness  on 
earth  ?  Here,  we  are  in  a  storm  ;  there,  we  shall  be  in  a  calm. 
Here,  we  are  in  a  perpetual  contest  ;  there,  we  shall  be  in  a 
triumph.  Here,  we  groan,  surrounded  by  the  world  and  the 
powers  of  darkness  ;  there,  we  shall  live  with  saints  and  an- 
gels. Here,  we  are  subject  to  a  thousand  infirmities,  and 
countless  sufferings  ;  there,  we  shall  be  delivered  from  all  evil. 
Here,  we  see  but  darkly,  and  as  it  were  through  a  thick  veil  ; 
there,  we  shall  see  face  to  face.  Here,  we  are  burdened  with  the 
flesh  in  many  ways  ;  there,  we  shall  be  spiritual  and  heavenly. 
And,  to  comprehend  all  in  one  word  with  the  apostle,  here, 
we  are  absent  from  the  Lord,  the  treasure  and  the  glory  of  our 
12 


90  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  V. 

heart,  the  life  and  the  joy  of  our  souls  ;  there,  we  shall  be  with 
him.  For  it  is  not  possible,  my  brethren,  to  be  with  this  sove- 
reign Author  of  all  blessedness,  without  being  at  the  same  time 
perfectly  happy  ;  from  which  you  see  how  absurd  is  the  ima- 
gination of  those  who  suppose  the  real  presence  of  the  Lord  in 
the  bread  of  the  Eucharist,  desiring  that  now,  that  is  to  say, 
in  this  earthly  pilgrimage,  in  the  midst  of  infirmity  and  of 
death,  we  should  be  notwithstanding  with  the  Lord,  aye,  and 
that  too  in  a  more  intimate  manner  than  we  shall  be  with  him 
in  the  heavens,  as  they  pretend  that  we  have  him  really  and 
substantially  in  our  stomachs,  which  will  not  take  place  in  the 
other  world.  Who  does  not  see  that  they  confound  earth 
with  heaven,  and  mix  the  condition  in  which  we  are  in  this 
body,  with  that  on  which  we  shall  enter  on  being  removed 
from  hence  ;  to  which  Paul  gives  this  particular  advantage, 
that  then  we  shall  be  with  the  Lord,  instead  of  which,  if  you 
believe  those  other  teachers,  we  are  already  with  him  ?  If  we 
are  with  the  Lord,  we  should  neither  do  nor  suffer  evil  ;  we 
should  neither  be  subject  to  sin  nor  death.  The  presence  of 
this  great  Sun  of  righteousness  would  dissipate  all  the  dark- 
ness both  of  our  ignorance  and  of  our  sorrows,  and  would 
transform  us  into  so  many  images  of  his  perfection  and  glory. 
I  acknowledge  that  formerly,  when  he  was  in  his  state  of  weak- 
ness, he  did  not  communicate  these  blessings  to  all  who  were 
with  him.  But  the  glory  in  which  he  now  is  does  not  admit 
of  any  being  with  him  who  are  not  blessed.  And  Paul  shows 
this  to  us  here  very  expressly,  when  he  says  simply,  "  to  be 
with  the  Lord,"  meaning  to  express  all  the  happiness  which 
was  enjoyed  by  every  spirit  in  heaven  whom  God  had  collected 
there  by  his  grace.  It  is  the  sweetness  and  the  glory  of  that 
condition,  my  brethren,  which  makes  us  desire  with  the  apostle 
to  depart.  He  did  not  wish  for  death  for  its  own  sake.  In  it- 
self death  is  a  very  hideous  thing,  there  is  nothing  in  it  de- 
sirable, nothing  but  what  is  agonizing  and  alarming;  thus 
considered,  it  is  what  was  very  truly  said  by  the  prince  of 
philosophers,  the  most  fearful  stroke  in  the  world.  For  it  is 
the  most  terrible  of  all  the  marks  of  God's  anger  ;  the  ruin 
of  his  most  accomplished  work,  the  destruction  of  our  nature, 
the  confusion  of  our  senses,  and  the  separation  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  closest  union  that  can  possibly  exist.  But  what- 
ever it  may  be  in  itself,  to  the  soul  of  the  christian  it  is  by 
the  blessing  of  God  the  gate  of  heaven,  and  the  entrance 
into  eternity.  The  pains  of  death  are  but  the  paths  which 
lead  into  the  light  of  true  life.  If  it  pluck  his  soul  from  this 
dungeon,  where  she  only  breathes  with  difficulty,  it  is  to  place 
her  in  full  liberty;  if  it  defaces  this  tabernacle  of  clay  in 
which  she  is  imprisoned,  it  is  to  lodge  her  in  a  heavenly  pal- 
ace; and  if  it  spoil  her  of  a  form,  it  is  to  reclothe  her  in  an- 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  91 

other  incomparably  more  excellent.  Paul,  who  knew  it,  and 
who  had  seen  and  tasted  its  effects  in  paradise,  where  he  had 
been  in  ecstasy,  considering  these  wonderful  consequences  of 
death,  desired  it  for  this  reason,  and  regarded  it  not  only  with- 
out fear,  but  even  with  joy,  as  the  end  of  his  labours,  as  the 
haven  of  his  painful  voyage,  as  the  day  of  his  coronation,  and 
the  commencement  of  his  happiness  and  glory.  And  indeed 
I  am  not  astonished  that  he  did  so.  For  all  that  death  may 
have  in  itself  that  is  painful  and  bitter,  is  nothing  in  compar- 
ison of  that  infinite  and  eternal  felicity  into  which  it  conducts 
happy  souls  ;  so  that  the  ardent  desire  which  the  apostle  had 
to  arrive  at  this  blissful  state,  possessing  all  his  senses,  and 
holding  them,  as  it  were,  in  a  state  of  rapturous  enjoyment, 
caused  him  to  disregard  what  there  might  be  painful  in  the 
passage  itself,  and  not  only  did  he  not  fear  it,  but  he  even 
wished  for  it  ;  according  to  what  we  experience  every  day  in 
the  natural  consequences  of  the  emotions  of  our  hearts,  that 
when  we  love  and  are  ardently  attached  to  one  object,  we  also 
infallibly  embrace  and  desire  those  means  which  we  know  to 
be  indispensable  for  its  attainment.  But  however  ardent 
might  be  this  just  and  legitimate  desire  which  the  apostle  had 
for  his  own  happiness,  and  for  the  separation  necessary  for 
him  to  acquire  it,  it  was  usefulness  to  the  church  which  ar- 
rested him  and  held  him  in  suspense,  as  he  expresses  to  us  in 
these  words,"  "  Nevertheless  to  abide  in  the  flesh  is  more  need- 
ful for  you."  The  spiritual  welfare  of  those  believers  to  whom 
he  wrote  touched  him  no  less  than  his  own.  O  admirable 
love,  which,  for  the  profit  of  others,  is  willing  to  be  deprived 
of  its  own  happiness,  and  to  remain  in  a  state  of  suffering! 
It  was  this  same  heart  which  elsewhere  wished  to  be  separated 
from  Christ  for  the  sake  of  his  brethren,  Eom.  ix.  3  :  he  pre- 
fers their  salvation  to  his  own,  and  has  more  earnestness  for 
their  edification  than  for  his  own  glory.  It  is  true  that  here 
he  only  speaks  of  the  delay,  and  not  of  the  loss  of  his  salva- 
tion. For  he  was  deeply  assured  that  sooner  or  later  he  should 
arrive  at  the  haven  of  a  blessed  immortality.  But  he  pre- 
ferred reaching  this  some  years  later,  to  leaving  the  instruc- 
tion of  his  converts  imperfect.  He  was  like  a  good  and  wise 
mother,  who,  ardently  desirous  of  following  her  absent  hus- 
band, is  prevented  by  her  anxiety  for  her  children,  preferring 
to  deprive  herself  of  her  own  happiness  rather  than  fail  in 
seeking  their  good.  Such  was  this  holy  apostle.  The  love  of 
those  believers,  the  children  whom  he  had  begotten  by  the 
gospel,  and  the  zeal  which  he  felt  for  their  furtherance  in  it, 
kept  him  on  earth,  and  made  him  support  with  patience  the 
absence  of  his  beloved  Lord,  and  the  sorrows  which  it  caused 
him.  From  which  you  see  how  pastors  ought  to  love  their 
flocks,  as  this  example  incites  them  to  seek  and  to  procure 


92  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERIL  V. 

their  edification  with  as  much  or  more  ardour  than  their  own 
happiness. 

II.  After  having  thus  declared  and  explained  by  pertinent 
reasons  his  doubt  which  of  the  two  would  be  most  expedient 
for  him,  whether  to  die  or  to  live,  the  apostle  adds,  in  the 
second  part  of  this  text,  that  he  was  sure  God  would  decide 
this  his  difficulty  to  the  advantage  and  consolation  of  the  Phi- 
lippians:  "And  I  know  that  I  shall  abide  and  continue  with 
you  all  for  your  furtherance  and  joy  of  faith  ;  that  your  re- 
joicing may  be  more  abundant  in  Jesus  Christ  for  me  by  my 
coming  to  you  again."     Upon  which  we  have  two  things  to 
consider  ;  the  one,  If  the  event  corresponded  with  this  certain 
hope  which  Paul  testified  that  he  felt,  that  is  to  say,  if  he  was 
delivered  from  the  imprisonment  in  which  he  had  been  kept 
at  Rome,  and  again  saw  the  Philippians  and  the  other  churches 
of  Greece.     And  in  the  second  place,  What  were  the  fruits 
that  he  promised  himself  from  this  deliverance  ?     On  the  first 
point,  it  is  a  thing  on  which  all  the  ancient  historians  and 
teachers  of  Christianity  are  agreed,  that  Paul  was  delivered 
from  his  first  bonds,  of  which  we  have  the  account  written  in 
the  book  of  the  Acts  ;  and  that,  after  having  been  detained  for 
more  than  two  years  a  prisoner  at  Rome,  he  was  at  last  set  at 
liberty,  and  still  lived  till  the  first  persecution  of  the  christians, 
which  took  place  in  the  tenth  year  of  the  emperor  Nero,  and 
the  sixty-fourth  from  the  birth  of  the  Lord  ;  a  time  at  which 
they  all  hold  that  Paul  was  again  a  prisoner  for  the  second 
time  at  Rome,  and  there  suffered  martyrdom  with  a  great  many 
other  believers.     According  to  this  he  continued  to  live  for 
six  years  after  his  deliverance  from  his  first  imprisonment,  and 
consequently  had  leisure  to  visit  the  Philippians,  and  the  other 
churches  which  he  had  founded  in  Greece.     Ancient  historians 
hold,  that  on  leaving  Rome,  he  went  to  preach  the  gospel  in 
the  countries  of  the  west  ;  and  it  appears  by  the  Epistle  to  the 
Romans  that  he  had  had  such  a  design  ;  for  he  says,  (Rom.  xv.  14,) 
that  he  desired  to  go  to  Rome,  and  from  thence  into  Spain. 
But  whether  he  did  or  did  not  preach  in  the  provinces  of  the 
west,  it  ought  to  be  considered  certain  that  he  again  visited  the 
churches  of  Philippi  and  Colosse,  and  others  which  he  had 
established  in  Greece  and  Asia.     For  in  the  first  place,  he 
speaks  of  it  with  great  assurance,  saying,  not  only  that  he 
knew,  but  that  he  was  certain  of  abiding  and  continuing  with 
them  ;  and  likewise  in  the  following  chapter,  where,  promising 
to  send  Timothy  to  them,  he  adds,  "And  I  trust  in  the  Lord 
that  I  also  shall  soon  come,"  chap.  ii.  24  ;  and  in  a  parallel 
passage  in  the  Epistle  to  Philemon,  a  Colossian,  written  about 
the  same  year  as  this,  he  says,  "  Prepare  me  a  lodging,  for 
I  trust  that  through  your  prayers  I  shall  be  given  to  j^ou." 
But  that  which  is  unanswerable  is,  that  it  appears  by  the 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  93 

Second  Epistle  to  Timothy,  written  certainly  at  Eome  a  little 
before  his  martyrdom,  that  he  made  a  second  voyage  into 
Italy,  and  that  before  doing  so  he  had  visited  the  churches  of 
Greece  and  Asia;  for  he  tells  Timothy  that  Erastus  had  re- 
mained at  Corinth,  and  that  he  had  left  Trophimus  sick  at 
Miletus,  and  says  that  he  had  left  a  cloak,  with  some  books 
and  parchments,  with  one  named  Carpus,  in  Troas,  2  Tim.  iv. 
13,  20  ;  things  which  can  in  no  way  coincide  with  the  first 
voyage  that  Paul  made  to  Eome,  when  he  was  carried  there  a 
prisoner  ;  it  being  clear,  from  the  history  that  Luke  has  so  ac- 
curately described  to  us  in  the  Acts,  that  he  did  not  then  either 
go  to  Miletus,  or  to  Corinth,  or  Troas,  and  did  not  even  ap- 
proach them,  but  sailed  direct  from  Palestine  to  the  west, 
taking  his  course  below  Candia,  and  from  thence  (having  been 
carried  by  a  tempest)  to  the  island  of  Malta,  from  whence  he 
afterwards  went  to  Rome;  and  there  is  no  appearance  that 
these  things  relate  to  the  voyage  that  he  had  formerly  made 
from  Macedonia  into  Palestine,  mentioned  and  described  by 
Luke  in  the  Acts,  from  the  long  period  that  had  since  passed  ; 
for  Paul  having  been  detained  for  two  years  in  Cesarea,  before 
setting  out  for  Italy,  he  must  have  arrived  at  Rome  about  three 
years  after  having  made  this  voyage.  How  could  he  suitably 
remark,  after  so  long  a  period,  that  he  had  left  Trophimus  sick 
at  Miletus?  and  still  more,  why  did  he  tell  Timothy  of  it,  who 
having  been  his  companion  in  this  voyage,  would  have  known 
it  without  requiring  to  be  told  of  it  ?  Certainly,  to  unravel  this 
difficulty,  we  must  necessarily  presuppose  that  Paul,  having 
been  delivered  from  his  first  imprisonment,  visited  some  years 
after  the  churches  of  Greece  and  Asia,  according  to  the  design 
and  hope  which  he  here  declares  he  possessed  ;  and  that  having 
seen,  consoled,  and  edified  them,  on  leaving  them  he  passed 
through  Troas,  where  he  left  the  books  and  parchments  in 
the  hands  of  Carpus,  and  from  thence  to  Miletus,  and  to 
Corinth,  where  Trophimus  and  Erastus  remaiued,  and  returned 
for  the  second  time  to  Rome,  where  he  was  again  put  into 
prison,  and  there  suffered  martyrdom,  a  little  time  after  having 
written  the  Second  Epistle  to  Timothy.  There  is  one  thing 
which  appears  to  contradict  this  presumption,  namely,  what 
we  read  in  the  20th  chapter  of  the  Acts,  that  Paul,  going  to 
Jerusalem  before  his  first  Roman  imprisonment,  said  to  the 
elders  of  the  Ephesian  church,  "  that  he  knew  that  they  should 
see  his  face  no  more,"  Acts  xx.  25.  But  the  answer  is  easy  ; 
he  spoke  then  according  to  his  own  apprehension,  arising  from 
the  warning  that  had  been  given  him  by  the  Spirit,  that  in 
every  city,  and  in  Jerusalem  also,  bonds  and  sorrows  awaited 
him.  Not  knowing  then  what  would  be  the  result  of  these  trials, 
he  imagined  that,  from  the  greatness  of  his  troubles,  he  should 
die  under  them,  although  the  Lord  had  otherwise  decreed, 


94  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  V. 

having  delivered  him  from  his  first  bonds,  and  afforded  him 
the  opportunity  of  seeing  once  more  his  dear  flocks,  and  even 
afterwards  of  foreseeing  this  very  happiness,  and  to  conceive  a 
certain  hope  of  it,  before  the  thing  happened,  as  appears  by 
this  text.  "We  may  then  conclude  that  the  apostle,  according 
to  the  assurance  he  here  gives  to  the  Philippians,  was  delivered 
from  the  danger  of  death  in  which  he  then  was,  and  continued 
still  on  earth,  and  even  returned  to  them.  From  which  you 
see,  dear  brethren,  that  the  courage  and  inclination  of  believers 
for  death  is  sometimes  followed  by  their  deliverance.  God 
again  gives  them  that  life  which  they  had  committed  to  him, 
as  he  formerly  restored  Isaac  to  Abraham,  being  contented  with 
their  voluntary  offering.  This  apostle  was  ready  to  die  for  him, 
he  was  prepared  to  do  so,  and  even  his  desire  tended  that  way. 
The  Lord  accepted  his  inclination,  and  receiving  it  as  a  holy  ob- 
lation, gave  him  notwithstanding  life  and  liberty  ;  teaching  U3 
to  have  always  our  loins  girded,  and  our  lamps  burning,  par- 
ticularly in  times  of  sickness,  and  in  those  circumstances  in 
which  our  lives  are  in  danger.  For  the  best  and  most  proper 
means  to  escape  them  is  to  be  prepared  for  them,  and  resigned 
early  to  the  will  of  God. 

As  to  the  objects  and  effects  of  this  deliverance  of  the  apos- 
tle, he  represents  them  as  of  two  kinds:  in  the  first  place, 
The  furtherance  of  the  Philippians,  and  the  joy  of  their  faith, 
that  is  to  say,  their  edification  and  consolation.  For  though 
the  preaching  of  the  apostle  was  full  of  fruit  and  of  spiritual 
utility,  it  cannot  be  doubted  but  that  it  would  be  still  more 
efficacious  to  the  Philippians  after  the  glorious  trial  of  so  long 
an  imprisonment,  and  that  their  faith  would  be  strengthened, 
and  their  piety  fortified,  by  the  example  of  his  patience,  by 
the  sight  of  his  person,  and  by  hearing  his  words.  Their  joy 
would  also  be  very  great  at  seeing  again  among  them,  safe  and 
sound,  so  good  and  so  dear  a  master,  after  all  the  dangers  he 
had  gone  through,  and  the  apprehensions  they  had  felt  on  his 
account.  But  he  calls  this  joy  that  they  experienced  at  again 
seeing  him  "  the  joy  of  their  faith,"  as  it  sprang  entirely  from 
feelings  of  piety  and  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  There  was  nothing 
carnal  or  worldly  in  it.  It  was  only  founded  on  considera- 
tions of  faith,  of  heaven,  and  of  salvation,  and  not  on  those 
of  the  earth.  He  also  adds  another  effect  of  his  deliverance, 
"  That  your  rejoicing  may  be  more  abundant  in  Jesus  Christ 
for  me  by  my  coming  to  you  again."  What  is  this  rejoicing 
of  believers  in  Jesus  Christ?  It  is  in  my  opinion  the  holy 
assurance  they  feel  of  the  power  and  wisdom  of  the  Lord,  and 
of  his  love  for  his  own,  and  of  his  care  in  making  all  things 
work  together  for  their  good,  and  for  their  salvation.  For 
that  is  the  only  subject  of  their  rejoicing,  and  the  whole  cause 
of  their  joy  and  confidence.     "Some  trust  in  chariots,  and 


CHAP.  I.  ]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  95 

some  in  horses  ;  but  we"  (say  they)  "  will  remember  the  name 
of  the  Lord  our  God,"  Psal.  xx.  7.  In  every  thing  else  they 
acknowledge  their  weakness  and  vileness.  But  they  rejoice  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  They  triumph  in  it.  They 
think  of  it  and  speak  of  it  in  a  lofty  manner.  Now  that  the 
deliverance  and  return  of  the  apostle  would  make  this  rejoic- 
ing abound  in  the  hearts  and  mouths  of  the  Philippians,  and 
of  all  the  other  believers  who  were  then  alive,  is  very  evident. 
For  they  saw  clearly  in  his  person  what  and  how  excellent  was 
the  goodness  and  power  of  that  Saviour,  who  had  preserved 
his  servant  from  the  jaws  of  the  lions,  and  had  miraculously 
delivered  him  from  the  prison  of  Nero,  having  faithfdlly  de- 
fended him  from  the  efforts  of  the  world  and  of  hell,  which 
both  conspired  for  his  ruin.  They  also  saw  in  it  the  care 
which  the  Lord  had  for  their  edification,  who  for  their  good 
and  for  their  furtherance  in  piety,  and  not  for  any  other  con- 
sideration, preserved  his  apostle  on  earth,  contrary  to  the  ap- 
pearances of  things,  against  the  interests  of  his  happiness,  and 
against  his  own  wishes.  And  this,  dear  brethren,  is  the  fruit 
that  we  should  draw  from  the  deliverances  that  God  gives  to 
his  servants,  whether  in  relieving  them  from  those  sicknesses 
to  which  our  nature  is  subject,  or  in  snatching  them  from  the 
hands  of  their  enemies,  or  in  keeping  them  in  the  midst  of 
the  many  dangers  by  which  they  are  surrounded.  May  these 
proofs  which  we  daily  receive  of  his  goodness  and  sovereign 
power  increase  more  and  more  our  confidence  in  him,  and 
cause  the  rejoicing  that  we  have  in  our  hearts  to  abound,  and 
to  receive  new  strength  and  vigour,  so  that  not  only  we  may 
be  consoled  in  the  sorrows  and  various  difficulties  of  this  mis- 
erable life,  but  triumph  even  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest 
storms,  having  nothing  low,  cowardly,  or  mean,  either  in  our 
minds  or  in  our  mouths.  May  all  our  thoughts  and  our  words 
be  courageous  and  lofty,  and  worthy  of  the  grandeur  of  that 
Christ  whose  disciples,  whose  sheep,  and  whose  members  we 
are. 

Such,  my  brethren,  is  the  exposition  of  this  text  of  the 
apostle.  Let  us  profit  by  it,  meditating  upon  and  carefully 
practising  the  lessons  contained  in  it,  on  which  we  have  briefly 
touched  each  in  its  own  place.  Let  us,  above  all,  receive  into 
our  hearts  what  he  teaches  us  of  the  nature  of  death,  and  of 
the  use  of  life,  that  we  may  neither  fear  the  one  nor  abuse  the 
other,  and  reduce  to  their  true  and  legitimate  form  the  incli- 
nations and  feelings  we  should  entertain  for  both.  This  is  the 
most  important  point  of  heavenly  doctrine  ;  and  if  a  pagan 
formerly  said  that  the  life  of  a  wise  and  virtuous  man  should 
be  a  perpetual  meditation  on  death,  how  much  more  ought  a 
christian  to  say  so,  the  disciple  of  a  crucified  Master,  who 
only  leads  them  to  life  through  death!     But  besides  the  qua- 


96  AN"  EXPOSITION  OF  [SERM.  V. 

litj  and  instructions  of  the  Lord,  the  necessity  of  the  thing 
itself  recommends  its  meditation  to  us.  For  as  to  those  other 
evils  against  which  we  prepare  ourselves,  such  as  poverty, 
exile,  sorrows,  or  such  like,  perhaps  they  may  never  happen 
to  us.  But  death  is  inevitable,  and  there  is  neither  birth  nor 
condition  that  can  secure  either  us  or  those  belonging  to  us 
against  it.  Let  us  then  all  equally  think  of  it,  and  prepare 
ourselves  for  it  early,  so  that  whenever  it  comes  it  may  not 
take  us  unawares.  Let  us  see  it  as  it  really  is,  and  without 
being  alarmed  by  the  vile  and  hideous  form  in  which  painters 
and  men  of  the  world  have  represented  it  ;  but  let  us  believe 
what  the  apostle  says  of  it,  that  if  we  are  truly  christians,  it 
is  much  better  for  us  than  life.  It  is  much  that  it  frees  us 
from  those  continual  miseries  in  which  we  languish  here  below. 
This  consideration  alone  makes  it  desirable  to  many  persons, 
and  has  led  entire  nations  to  celebrate  the  funerals  of  their 
dead  with  songs  and  rejoicings,  not  like  us  with  tears  and 
lamentations,  with  which  they  accompany  the  birth  of  their 
children,  thinking  that  those  are  to  be  pitied  who  are  entering 
into  a  life  so  full  of  sorrows,  and  that  those  only  are  happy 
who  are  leaving  it.  But,  O  christian  believer  !  besides  the 
sufferings  from  which  death  will  deliver  you,  it  will  put  you 
in  possession  of  a  great  and  assured  happiness;  it  will  elevate 
you  into  the  heavens,  and  give  you  life  with  Jesus  Christ. 
Let  those  fear  death  whose  minds  superstition  has  filled  with 
error,  who  see  nothing  after  this  life  but  fire  and  torments, 
either  the  flames  of  hell  or  of  purgatory.  You,  disciple  of 
Jesus,  who  have  learned  of  his  apostle  that  there  is  now  no 
condemnation  for  those  that  are  in  him,  and  who  behold  him 
in  the  heavens  extending  his  hand  to  draw  you  thither  where 
he  is,  how  can  you  dread  so  happy  a  transition?  Are  you 
afraid  of  being  with  Christ  ?  Do  you  fear  to  enter  into  the  com- 
pany of  his  saints?  into  the  fellowship  of  his  angels?  into 
the  marvellous  light  of  his  eternal  kingdom,  where  your  faith 
will  be  changed  into  sight,  and  your  hope  into  rejoicing? 
How  does  the  creed  you  profess  accord  with  this  fear  ?  There 
have  been,  and  there  still  are,  an  immense  number  of  persons 
in  the  world,  who  cheerfully  expose  themselves  to  death  for  the 
hope  of  acquiring  a  vain  glory  to  their  name.  But  ours, 
brethren,  gives  a  true  and  solid  glory,  not  to  our  name,  which 
is  nothing,  but  to  ourselves,  placing  us  in  the  heavens  by  the 
side  of  the  Lord.  Let  us  then  be  fully  resolved  that  it  is 
much  better  for  us  to  be  dislodged  than  to  remain  in  this 
earthly  tabernacle,  and  instead  of  dreading  with  the  world 
this  last  hour,  let  us  desire  it  with  the  apostle,  and  welcome  it 
when  it  sjiall  present  itself  to  us,  as  the  period  of  our  freedom  ; 
saying,  like  Simeon  with  a  heart  full  of  joy,  "  Lord,  now  let- 
test  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace."     Being  thus  inclined, 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  97 

we  shall  be  the  happiest  men  in  the  world.  Nothing  will  dis- 
turb our  lives,  or  tempt  our  piety;  for  of  what  can  we  be 
afraid  if  we  do  not  fear  death?  nay,  if,  far  from  fearing  it,  we 
desire  it  ?  May  this  same  thought  console  us  when  we  mourn 
the  death  of  those  who  have  been  dear  to  us  ;  for  as  they  are 
with  the  Lord,  it  is  more  proper  to  rejoice  at  their  happiness 
than  to  complain  at  their  removal  from  us.  It  is  those  who 
remain  on  the  earth  for  whom  we  should  weep,  those  whom 
the  world  and  the  flesh  estrange  from  God,  who  are  every  day 
in  sorrow  or  in  danger.  But,  christians,  I  beseech  you,  do 
not  thus  disgrace  those  holy  beings  whom  you  have  seen  de- 
part from  this  earth  in  the  faith  and  hope  of  the  Lord,  with 
the  garments  of  his  household,  and  the  marks  of  his  election 
and  love,  in  the  midst  of  the  applause  and  the  rejoicing  of  an- 
gels; do  not  do  them  this  dishonour,  to  mourn  their  triumph, 
and  mar  the  consummation  of  their  happiness  by  your  tears. 
May  faith  quickly  dry  those  which  nature  forces  from  you. 
May  their  happiness  soften  your  grief,  and  oblige  you  to  keep 
your  hearts  continually  elevated  toward  heaven,  where  they 
are  gone  before,  waiting  with  patience  and  true  christian  reso- 
lution till  you  are  yourselves  gathered  in  peace,  to  live  and 
reign  eternally  with  your  Master  and  theirs,  Jesus  the  Prince 
of  life,  and  the  Lord  of  glory  ;  to  whom,  with  the  Father,  and 
the  Holy  Spirit,  one  true  God,  blessed  for  ever,  be  all  honour 
and  praise,  world  without  end.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  7th  May,  1640. 


SERMON  VI. 

verse  27—28. 


Only  let  your  conversation  he  as  it  becometh  the  gospel  of  Christ; 
that  ivhether  I  come  and  see  you,  or  else  be  absent,  I  may  hear 
of  your  affairs,  that  ye  stand  fast  in  one  spirit,  with  one  mind 
striving  together  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel;  and  in  nothing  ter- 
rified by  your  adversaries:  which  is  to  them  an  evident  token 
of  perdition,  but  to  you  of  salvation,  and  that  of  God. 

In  all  enterprises  of  importance,  it  is  a  grand  point  to  have 
them  well  and  happily  commenced;  and  he  who  said,  that  this 
is  to  have  done  half  the  work,  was  not  far  from  the  truth,  be- 
cause, as  their  beginnings  are  usually  more  difficult  than  their 
terminations,  they  occupy  men  more,  and  contribute  thereby 
to  the  execution  of  all  the  rest.  But  however  important  this 
13 


98  AN   EXPOSITION"  OF  [SERM.  VI. 

commencement  of  an  affair  may  be,  it  is  of  no  value,  but 
turns  rather  to  shame  and  loss,  if  it  be  not  followed  up,  and 
carried  on  to  its  completion,  with  a*  constant  perseverance  in 
the  enterprise  undertaken.   He  who  begins  and  does  not  finish, 
besides  the  time  and  trouble  which  he  so  uselessly  fritters 
away,  naturally  exposes  himself  to  the  blame  and  ridicule  of 
the  world,  and  remains  justly  deprived  of  the  fruits  of  his 
own  labour.     But  if  this  occurs  in  all  the  enterprises  of  human 
life  which  are  of  any  consequence,  it  is  more  especially  so  in 
the  profession  of  religion,  incomparably  the  greatest  and  most 
important  of  all.     It  is  not  only  useless  to  have  commenced 
it  if  you  do  not  persevere  in  it,  but  it  is  very  hurtful  ;   the 
warmth  and  the  exertion  of  the  beginning  redoubling  the  un- 
happiness  of  those  who,  in  a  cowardly  manner,  decline  from 
so  noble  and  divine  a  task.     This  is  why  the   holy  apostle, 
after  having  before  praised  the  commencement  of  the  Philip- 
pians  in  the  gospel  of  the  Lord,  now  exhorts  them,  in  the  text 
that  you  have  just  heard,  to  persevere  constantly,  without  ever 
allowing  themselves  to  be  carried  out  of  that  path  of  life,  in 
which  they  were  running  so  resolutely,  by  any  opposing  force 
or  violence.     In  the  words  immediately  preceding,  he  pro- 
mised them,  if  you  remember,  that  however  adverse  appear- 
ances might  seem,  he  should  be  released  from  prison,  and  once 
more  revisit  them,  to  the  joy  and  edification  of  their  faith.    He 
entreats  them,  while  waiting  for  this  consolation,  that  they  would 
continue  always  to  progress  from  good  to  better  in  the  study  and 
exercise  of  religion  :  "  Only  let  your  conversation  be  as  it  becom- 
eth  the  gospel  of  Christ  :  that  whether  I  come  and  see  you,  or'else 
be  absent,  I  may  hear  of  your  affairs,  that  ye  stand  fast  in  one 
spirit,  with   one  mind  striving  together  for  the  faith  of  the 
gospel  ;  and  in  nothing  terrified  by  your  adversaries  :  which 
is  to  them  an  evident  token  of  perdition,  but  to  you  of  salva- 
tion, and  that  of  God."     That  we  may  meditate  on  this  text 
with  more  regularity  and  profit,  by  the  assistance  of  the  Lord, 
we  will  consider  four  things  in  it  consecutively.     The  first 
shall  be  the  general  exhortation  that  the  apostle  gave  to  the 
Philippians,  "  To  let  their  conversation  be  as  it  becometh  the 
gospel  of  Christ."     The  three  others  will  be  the  three  par- 
ticular duties  which  he  proceeds  to  point  out,  and  which  are 
as  three  principal  parts  of  this  evangelical  conversation  which 
he  here  recommends  :  the  first,  "  To  stand  fast  in  one  spirit  ;" 
the  second,  "  To  strive  together  with  one  mind  ;"  and  the  third, 
"  Not  to  be  terrified  by  their  adversaries."     May  God  give  us 
grace  so  to  acquit  ourselves  in  this  meditation,  that  all  our  lives 
henceforth  may  be  a  constant  practice  of  them,  keeping  our- 
selves all  united  together  under  the  governance  of  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  Jesus,  continuing  in  his  fear  and  love,  and  coura- 
geously repelling  with  the  shield  of  faith  every  arrow  of  our 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  99 

visible  and  invisible  enemies,  to  the  glory  of  our  great  God, 
and  to  our  own  salvation. 

I.  The  general  exhortation  of  the  apostle,  which  we  pro- 
posed to  treat  in  the  first  place,  is  conceived  in  these  terms, 
"  Only  let  your  conversation  be  as  it  becometh  the  gospel  of 
Christ."  The  first  word,  "  only,"  relates  to  what  he  had  said 
before,  when,  having  spoken  of  the  issue  of  his  imprisonment, 
of  life,  of  death,  and  of  the  fruit  of  both,  he  declared  that  he 
was  firmly  assured  of  remaining  on  earth,  and  of  again  seeing 
the  church  of  the  Philippians,  and  of  edifying  and  consoling 
them  by  his  presence.  Adding  then  now,  "  Only  converse  ac- 
cording to  the  gospel."  As  if  he  had  said,  As  God  will  con- 
duct all  these  things  to  his  glory  and  your  good,  leave  to  him 
the  care  of  all  that  remains,  and  give  yourselves  entirely  to  the 
study  of  religion,  living  in  exact  accordance  with  that  form 
which  is  prescribed  to  you  in  his  word.  From  which  you  per- 
ceive, dear  brethren,  that  the  whole  business  of  a  believing 
soul  is  to  live  here  holily  and  religiously,  in  a  word,  evan- 
gelically. It  is  the  one  thing  needful.  As  to  every  thing  else, 
God  has  either  already  provided,  or  will  provide  in  time  to 
come,  without  our  anxiously  caring  for  it.  For  he  has  fully 
executed  on  his  side  all  that  was  necessary  for  the  establish- 
ment of  our  happiness.  He  has  given  us  his  Son,  and  has  se- 
cured to  us,  by  his  cross,  the  remission  of  our  sins,  peace  in 
our  consciences,  and  an  entrance  into  and  the  enjoyment  of 
a  heavenly  life.  He  has  sent  his  apostles,  and  abundantly 
blessed  their  ministry.  He  has  called  us  to  himself,  and  has 
made  his  will  known  to  us  in  the  gospel  of  his  Son.  And  for 
the  time  to  come,  he  has  promised  by  his  faithfulness  to  keep 
us  tenderly,  and  to  make  all  things  work  together  for  our  good, 
however  contrary  or  adverse  they  may  appear,  so  that  neither 
the  accidents  of  life,  nor  the  horrors  of  death,  shall  ever  be 
able  to  deprive  us  of  these  treasures.  He  has  taken  all  this 
upon  himself,  and  does  not  wish  that  any  of  these  thoughts 
should  occupy  our  minds.  What  then  is  the  work  that  he  re- 
quires of  us  ?  It  consists  entirely  in  this,  that  enjoying  his 
benefits  with  perfect  contentment  for  time  past,  and  an  assured 
hope  for  the  future,  we  should  dispose  our  lives  according  to 
his  commandments,  and  that  we  should  employ  our  whole  care, 
time,  and  attention,  to  see  that  our  conversation  be  worthy  of 
his  name  and  of  his  gospel.  This  is  the  only  employment  he 
has  given  us,  the  only  work  that  he  asks  of  us.  He  releases 
us  from  all  other  care,  and  is  contented  that  we  should  solely 
attend  to  this.  And  indeed  how  happy  should  we  be  if  we 
were  to  stay  our  minds  on  this  study  alone,  leaving  those 
things  which  so  uselessly  occupy  other  men  !  This  work 
always  brings  its  fruit  with  it,  the  repose  and  joy  of  the  con- 
science.    It  is  agreeable  to  God,  useful  to  our  neighbours,  and 


100  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VI. 

salutary  to  ourselves.  It  neither  leaves  regret,  shame,  disgust, 
nor  repentance  in  the  heart.  Every  thing  else,  however  spe- 
cious it  may  appear,  whether  in  life,  or  even  in  the  religion  of 
men,  is  either  vain  or  profitable  for  "little,"  as  Paul  says, 
speaking  of  "  bodily  exercise."  "  But  godliness  is  profitable 
for  all  things,  having  the  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  and 
of  that  which  is  to  come,"  1  Tim.  iv.  8.  Hence  the  reason  why 
he  recommends  this  exclusively  to  his  Philippians  :  "  Only 
let  your  conversation  be  as  it  becometh  the  gospel  of  Christ." 
It  is  word  for  word  in  the  original,  àçiu;  rot  tiayyeXiov,  "  converse 
worthily,  or  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  gospel,"  I  remark  this 
to  show  you  how  vain  are  the  pretensions  of  the  advocates  of 
merit,  when  they  desire  to  support  their  proud  opinion  on 
what  is  said  in  the  scripture,  "  That  the  faithful  are  counted 
worthy  of  the  kingdom  of  God,"  2  Thess.  i.  5  ;  as  if  these  words 
signified  that  they  deserved  the  heavenly  kingdom,  and  that 
the  value  of  their  works  was  such  that  God  could  not  refuse 
them  this  reward,  without  doing  them  wrong,  and  committing 
an  injustice.  This  text  clearly  shows  that  that  is  not  the 
apostle's  meaning.  For  when  Paul  here  says  "  a  conversation 
worthy  of  the  gospel,"  you  see  plainly  that  he  does  not  intend 
a  conversation  which  deserves  the  gospel,  (this  would  be  a 
palpable  misconstruction,)  any  more  than  John,  when  he  com- 
manded those  who  received  his  baptism  "  to  bring  forth  fruits 
meet  for  repentance,"  meant  works  which  deserved  repentance; 
it  would  be  a  manifest  absurdity  to  interpret  it  thus.  Who 
does  not  see  that  in  both  these  places  the  worthiness  spoken 
of  signifies  nothing  but  a  certain  relationship  of  suitableness, 
and  not  of  merit,  consisting  in  this,  that  the  conversation  of 
which  Paul  speaks  be  such  as  the  gospel  requires,  bearing  its 
impress  and  its  marks  ;  and  that  the  fruits  of  which  John  speaks 
should  be  such  as  repentance  demands  and  produces,  works 
such  as  are  becoming  and  suitable  to  be  done  by  those  who  are 
truly  repentant?  It  is  in  the  same  sense  that  Paul  speaks  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  where  he  beseeches  his  converts 
"  to  walk  worthy  of  the  vocation  wherewith  they  were  called  ;" 
that  is  to  say,  not  in  such  a  manner  as  would  imply  they  were 
called  for  their  own  merit,  but  (as  every  one  must  acknowledge) 
in  a  manner  that  should  be  suitable  to  their  vocation,  and  as  it 
became  persons  to  live  who  are  thus  called.  In  the  same  sense 
must  the  apostle  be  understood  when  he  enjoins  the  Colossians 
"  to  walk  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  Lord,"  Ool.  i.  10  ;  and 
likewise  what  he  writes  to  the  Thessalonians,  that  they  should 
"  walk  worthy  of  God,  who  hath  called  you  to  his  kingdom 
and  glory,"  1  Thess.  ii.  12.  Now  it  is  evident  that  he  means 
to  speak,  not  of  a  life  which  deserves  God,  (which  would  be 
an  absurd  and  impious  thought,)  but  rather  of  a  life  suitable 
to  the  name  and  the  quality  which  they  bore  of  children  of 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  101 

God,  and  which  should  accord  with  the  excellence  of  their  call- 
ing ;  so  that  when  he  elsewhere  says  that  believers  who  suffer 
persecution  with  faith  and  patience  are  "  counted  worthy  of 
the  heavenly  kingdom,"  2  Thess.  i.  5,  he  does  not  mean  to 
imply  that  they  have  merited  this  reward,  and  that  the  value 
of  their  sufferings  is  equal  to  that  of  this  glory,  and  may  be 
weighed  against  it,  contrary  to  what  he  expressly  denies,  Rom. 
viii.  18;  but  simply  that  they  have  marks  suitable  to  the  king- 
dom of  God,  and,  as  it  were,  the  garments  of  his  household, 
and  the  qualities  to  which,  out  of  his  pure  mercy  in  Jesus 
Christ,  he  promises  eternal  life  ;  according  to  that  maxim  so 
often  repeated  by  the  apostle,  that  "  if  we  suffer  with  him,  we 
shall  also  reign  with  him." 

But  to  return  to  our  subject.  Every  one  must  sufficiently 
see  and  understand  what  this  conversation  worthy  of  the  Spi- 
rit of  Christ  is,  which  Paul  here  proposes  to  us  as  the  only 
business  of  our  vocation,  without  requiring  anything  else. 
Would  to  God  that  it  were  not  more  difficult  to  practise  than 
to  understand  it  !  And  yet,  to  speak  truly,  that  we  acquit  our- 
selves so  ill  arises  oftener  from  our  cowardice  and  wickedness 
than  from  the  difficulty  of  the  thing  itself.  The  gospel  of  Je- 
sus Christ  is  that  holy  doctrine  which  the  Lord  has  brought 
us  from  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  which  he  has  published  on 
earth  by  the  ministry  of  his  apostles,  which  he  has  revealed  to 
us  by  his  Spirit,  and  the  profession  of  which  he  has  given  us 
grace  to  embrace.  The  mystery  of  godliness  is,  without  doubt, 
great  ;  it  proposes  to  us  a  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  justified 
by  the  Spirit,  seen  of  angels,  preached  unto  the  Gentiles,  be- 
lieved on  in  the  world,  raised  into  glory  ;  and  teaching  us  be- 
sides, that  after  having  received  the  grace  of  God,  profitable  to 
all  men,  we  should  renounce  iniquity  and  worldly  lusts,  and 
live  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  present  world, 
looking  for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious  appearing  of 
our  great  God  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  The  conversation 
worthy  of  the  gospel  is  that  which  agrees  with  this  beautiful 
and  heavenly  doctrine,  and  which  bears  its  credentials  ;  in 
which  none  of  the  productions  of  ignorance  or  error  appear  ; 
where  the  rays  of  knowledge  and  faith  shine  throughout  ;  it  is, 
in  short,  a  life  which  bears  a  just  relation  to  the  rules  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  tinted  with  his  beauty,  and  moulded  and  formed 
after  his  example.  This  holy  law  teaches  us  that  vice  is  the 
greatest  evil  of  our  nature  ;  that  it  degrades  man  from  all  ex- 
cellence ;  that  it  changes  him  into  a  brute  or  a  devil  ;  that  it 
kindles  against  us  that  violent  and  just  anger  of  Almighty 
God,  which  nothing  can  extinguish  but  the  blood  of  his  own 
Son.  Undoubtedly  the  life  in  which  vice  reigns  is  then  unworthy 
of  the  gospel,  and  bears  no  relation  to  it;  on  the  contrary, 
wherever  it  exists,  it  opposes  and  seeks  to  overthrow  it.     This 


102  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   VI. 

same  law  warns  us  that  the  earth  is  the  abode  of  vanity  and 
death  ;  that  this  world  is  but  a  shadow  which  passeth  away  ; 
that  its  pleasures,  its  honours  and  its  riches  are  but  false  idols, 
incapable  of  affording  us  any  real  or  solid  contentment.  Those 
then  who  fix  their  desires  on  it,  and  whose  whole  life  is  only 
occupied  in  serving  mammon,  or  in  worshipping  ambition, 
voluptuousness,  and  luxury,  have  nothing  in  their  conversation 
which  is  worthy  of  that  high  and  heavenly  doctrine  of  which 
they  make  profession.  The  gospel  declares  to  us  that  our  hap- 
piness is  above  in  the  heavens,  hid  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  depos- 
itary of  6ur  glory  and  immortality  ;  that  in  this  high  sanctuary 
are  our  country,  our  city,  and  our  abode,  and  that  love  and 
holiness  are  its  sovereign  law.  To  respond  to  this  instruction, 
who  does  not  see  that  we  must  continually  have  our  thoughts, 
our  desires,  and  our  hearts  entirely  in  heaven  ?  that  the  design 
of  arriving  there  ought  to  be  our  only  anxiety,  and  that  there- 
fore the  search  for  that  which  can  lead  us  thither,  that  is  to 
say,  the  love  of  God  and  of  our  neighbour,  ought  to  occupy 
all  our  mind  and  intellect  ?  From  hence,  believers,  judge,  I 
pray  you,  how  very  small  is  the  number  of  those  who  converse 
in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  gospel;  and,  seized  with  shame  and 
horror,  let  us  henceforth  labour  to  be  of  the  chosen  few.  Let 
us  leave  every  other  care  to  attend  to  this.  Eemember  the  di- 
rection of  the  apostle,  "  Only  let  your  conversation  be  as  it  be- 
eometh  the  gospel."  God  calls  you  to  that  alone.  You  call 
yourselves  "  evangelical  ;"  and  those  even  who  try  to  corrupt 
your  faith,  by  adulterating  it  with  a  mixture  of  the  traditions  of 
the  flesh,  still  flatter  you  with  this  title.  Be  then  such  in  truth. 
May  this  name  be  your  glory  before  God  and  men.  Do  no- 
thing that  is  unworthy  of  it.  Consult  it  on  everything  which 
presents  itself  to  you.  This  name  alone,  if  you  listen  to  it, 
will  be  sufficient  to  teach  you  what  is  your  duty.  Eeceive  no- 
thing that  is  contrary  to  it,  either  in  your  belief  or  in  your 
manners.  If  the  world  invite  you  to  share  in  its  superstitions, 
in  its  vices,  in  its  amusements,  reflect  how  unworthy  are  these 
things  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  If  the  flesh  entice  you  to  hatred, 
vengeance,  or  impurity,  remember  how  directly  contrary  are 
these  feelings  to  the  voice  and  to  the  Spirit  of  your  Master. 
If  it  were  only  in  consideration  of  our  own  honour,  it  would 
ever  oblige  us  to  lead  a  life  conformable  with  our  profession, 
there  being  nothing  more  shameful  than  to  do  the  contrary  of 
what  we  say,  and  by  the  example  of  our  manners  to  ruin  that 
which  we  have  professed  and  established  with  the  mouth.  This 
contradiction  is  so  abominable,  and  so  unworthy  of  every  hon- 
ourable mind,  that  even  among  the  sects  of  worldly  philoso- 
phers, which  were  at  best  but  folly  and  vanity,  every  one  en- 
deavoured to  adjust  his  manners  to  his  dogmas,  and  to  live  as 
he  taught.     But,  alas  !  here  is  much  more  than  honour.     For 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  103 

we  shall  be  judged  at  the  last  day  by  our  life,  and  not  by  our 
language  ;  by  our  conversation,  and  not  by  our  profession. 
If  we  do  not  live  in  a  way  worthy  of  the  gospel,  in  vain  shall 
we  have  made  profession  of  it,  in  vain  shall  we  have  called 
ourselves  evangelical,  or  have  been  so  called  by  others.  All 
this  vain-glory  will  be  useless,  yea  more,  it  will  be  infinitely 
hurtful  to  us.  We  shall  be  reproached  with  it,  and  with  good 
reason,  as  the  greatest  of  our  crimes,  having  had  the  insolence 
to  profane  so  holy  a  name,  and  of  not  having  been  ashamed 
to  lead  the  life  of  a  pagan  under  the  profession  of  a  christian, 
sullying  and  tarnishing  the  venerable  name  and  holy  law  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  the  King  of  angels  and  of  men,  by  the  blem- 
ishes and  filth  of  our  actions.  God  preserve  us,  dear  brethren, 
from  falling  into  so  frightful  a  misfortune.  Let  us  be  true 
christians,  and  evangelical.  May  our  conversation  henceforth 
be  worthy  of  this  gospel  that  we  maintain. 

To  enforce  so  necessary  a  duty  on  the  Philippians,  Paul,  be- 
sides their  own  interest  in  salvation,  represents  also  to  them 
that  which  he  takes  in  it  :  "  Let  your  conversation  be  as  it 
becometh  the  gospel  of  Christ  ;  so  that  (says  he)  whether  I 
come  and  see  you,  or  else  be  absent,  I  may  hear  of  your  affairs, 
that  you  stand  fast  in  one  spirit."  If  ever  there  was  a  master 
whose  disciples  were  bound  to  hold  him  in  high  esteem,  it  was 
doubtless  this  apostle,  who  had  delivered  to  the  Philippians, 
not  the  vain  and  perishable  arts  and  sciences  of  the  world,  but 
the  knowledge  of  God,  and  of  salvation  :  who  had  drawn  them 
from  the  abyss  of  hell  into  the  true  light  of  heaven  ;  and  who, 
for  communicating  to  them  this  divine  treasure,  had  even  suf- 
fered shame  and  persecution  to  the  very  shedding  his  blood, 
so  great  and  so  ardent  was  the  love  he  bore  them.  To  which 
must  be  united  the  situation  in  which  he  then  was,  bound  with 
a  chain  for  the  gospel,  and  the  constancy  of  his  affection  for 
them,  which  he  so  tenderly  felt  in  the  midst  of  all  his  troubles. 
What  did  they  not  owe  to  such  a  man  ?  And  certainly  the 
care  that  they  had  shown  for  him  during  his  bonds,  a  sure  sign 
of  the  love  which  they  bore  him,  evidenced  also  that  they 
would  have  been  very  much  concerned  to  have  displeased  him. 
He  puts  then  this  consideration  foremost;  and  to  lead  them  to 
live  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  gospel,  he  proposes  to  them 
the  joy  that  he  should  receive  at  hearing  such  good  news.  I 
ask  of  you  no  other  reward  (says  he)  for  so  many  troubles  that 
I  have  undergone  to  instruct  you  in  the  gospel,  than  that  your 
conversation  should  respond  to  my  doctrine,  and  that  you 
should  show  forth  in  your  manners  that  beautiful  and  holy 
way  I  have  set  before  you  in  my  instructions.  This  ardent 
affection  that  I  had  and  still  have  for  your  salvation  will  be 
abundantly  rewarded,  if  the  gospel  of  my  Lord  shines  as  well 
in  your  conduct  as  it  is  retained  in  your  mouths.     Such,  my 


104  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VI. 

brethren,  is  the  desire  of  Paul,  and  of  every  true  minister  of 
Jesus  Christ.  All  the  payment  that  they  seek  for  their  labo- 
rious exertions  is  the  sanctification  and  salvation  of  their  flocks. 
As  in  truth,  from  the  little  taste  that  you  have  for  heavenly 
things,  you  will  confess  that  there  is  no  labour  in  the  world 
whose  fruit  is  either  more  delicious  or  more  glorious  than  to 
see  religion  flourish,  and  sanctification,  the  first  fruits  of  a 
blessed  immortality,  the  ornament  and  the  light  of  heaven,  in 
a  flock  that  you  have  yourselves  instructed  and  formed.  If 
fathers  and  mothers  bless  the  infinite  trouble  that  the  educa- 
tion of  their  children  has  given  them  when  they  profit  by  it, 
and  if  the  masters  of  worldly  arts  esteem  themselves  happy  to 
have  made  some  clever  scholars  in  their  calling,  what  must  be 
the  delight  of  ministers  of  the  Lord,  when  they  see  his  word 
prosper  in  their  hands,  and  the  ground  that  he  had  committed 
to  them  crowned  with  his  blessing  and  entirely  covered  with 
those  divine  fruits  of  godliness  which  endure  eternally  !  0 
sweet  and  happy  troubles  !  O  blessed  and  valuable  labour  ! 
Dear  brethren,  if  the  care  that  we  take  to  instruct  you  by  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  deserve  that  you  should  have  any  re- 
gard for  your  comfort,  give  us  that  which  the  apostle  here  asks 
from  the  Philippians.  May  the  purity  of  your  conversation 
testify  to  the  power  and  divinity  of  our  gospel,  that  your  man- 
ners may  show  that  we  have  not  laboured  in  vain,  and  that 
your  life  may  praise  our  preaching.  God  knows,  dearly  be- 
loved brethren,  that  it  is  the  most  ardent  of  our  wishes,  that  it 
is  the  joy  and  crown  that  we  daily  entreat  from  him.  As  for  the 
rest,  when  the  apostle  says  to  the  Philippians,  "  That  whether 
I  come  and  see  you,  or  else  be  absent,"  it  is  not  to  retract  what 
he  had  said  in  the  preceding  verses  of  his  certain  return  to 
them,  but  only  to  make  them  understand  that  he  had  nothing 
more  at  heart  than  the  goodness  and  holiness  of  their  life  ;  that 
if  present  among  them,  he  could  see  nothing  more  agreeable  ; 
and  that  absent  from  them,  he  could  hear  nothing  sweeter  than 
the  report  of  their  constancy  and  progress  in  piety. 

II.  But  it  is  time  to  come  to  the  three  last  points  of  our 
text.  For  the  apostle,  instead  of  saying  that  he  desires  no- 
thing more  than  to  learn,  whether  absent  or  present,  that  the 
Philippians  behaved  in  a  way  worthy  of  the  gospel,  (as  it 
seems  that  the  order  and  natural  course  of  the  language  would 
require,)  acts  otherwise  ;  and,  that  he  might  take  occasion  to 
particularize  some  of  the  principal  duties  of  an  evangelical 
conversation,  see  how  he  explains  himself,  "  To  the  end  that  I 
may  hear  of  your  condition,  that  you  stand  fast  in  one  spirit, 
with  one  mind  striving  together  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel  ; 
and  in  nothing  terrified  by  your  adversaries."  You  see  that 
he  touches  three  points  in  which  an  evangelical  conversation 
almost  entirely  consists,  in  its  three  principal  and  most  im- 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  105 

portant  parts.  The  first  is  to  "  stand  fast  in  one  spirit."  The 
word  vrftKurc  in  the  original  signifies  to  hold  on,  and  to  remain 
firm  at  one's  post,  and  is  derived  from  the  combats,  in  which 
each  endeavoured  to  keep  his  place,  and  to  maintain  himself 
in  his  seat,  without  going  back,  or  being  shaken  by  all  the  at- 
tacks of  the  enemy.  The  apostle,  employing  this  image  to 
represent  to  us  the  life  of  the  faithful,  means,  that  in  this  spir- 
itual warfare  we  should  never  allow  ourselves  to  be  drawn  from 
that  position  in  which  God  has  placed  us,  and  that  all  together, 
like  his  faithful  and  valiant  soldiers,  courageously  repulsing  the 
enemy,  we  should  always  stand  firm,  without  quitting  either 
the  faith  or  the  profession  which  by  his  grace  we  have  made. 
And  as  things  diametrically  opposite  sometimes  help  to  give 
us  light,  you  will  know  what  to  stand  fast  is,  if  you  consider 
what  fault  is  opposed  to  this  duty.  In  the  first  place,  they 
fail  in  it  who,  having  given  their  name  to  the  Lord,  shamefully 
desert  his  standard,  to  pass  into  the  enemy's  camp,  like  those 
who  quit  the  profession  of  the  gospel  to  follow  that  of  super- 
stition. In  the  second,  those  fail  who,  retaining  the  profession 
of  Christianity,  corrupt  it  by  the  intermixture  of  error,  and 
(like  the  Galatians  formerly)  having  begun  in  the  Spirit,  end 
in  the  flesh,  receiving  into  their  faith  the  deadly  leaven  of 
some  false  opinion.  Thirdly,  those  likewise  fail  in  it  who, 
remaining  in  the  camp  of  Israel,  relax  in  their  affection  to 
piety,  or,  like  the  angel  of  Ephesus,  fall  from  their  first  love. 
I  would  add  also,  that  in  religion  not  to  advance  is,  in  some 
respects,  to  retrograde.  For  this  strength,  as  much  as  depends 
on  us,  is  extremely  active,  and  in  continual  motion  ;  and  when 
it  makes  no  progress,  it  is  a  sign  that  it  is  weakened,  and  that 
it  has  lost  something  of  its  natural  vigour.  From  which  you 
see,  my  brethren,  the  duty  opposed  to  these  failings,  and  sig- 
nified here  by  the  apostle,  when  he  commands  us  to  stand  fast  ; 
it  is  a  firm  and  inextinguishable  perseverance,  not  only  in  the 
profession,  but  also  in  the  zeal  of  piety,  in  the  purity  of  the 
faith,  in  the  warmth  of  love,  and  in  the  reality  of  all  the  other 
christian  virtues  ;  so  that  instead  of  losing  any  thing  in  this 
respect,  we  should  rather  go  on  acquiring  and  growing,  daily, 
until  we  come  to  the  measure  of  the  perfect  stature,  which  is 
in  Jesus  Christ.  Now  the  apostle  does  not  only  say  that  we 
should  stand  fast,  he  adds,  "  in  one  spirit,"  which  may  be  un- 
derstood in  two  ways,  according  as  the  word  "  spirit"  is  used  ; 
either  for  the  spirit  of  a  man,  that  is  to  say,  his  understanding, 
or  for  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  the  grace  which  he  communicates 
to  believers.  Taking  it  in  the  first  sense,  the  meaning  of  the 
apostle  will  be,  that  believers  stand  fast,  and  persevere  to- 
gether in  the  same  mind,  having  all  one  thought,  one  faith, 
one  belief.  For  the  understanding  being  the  seat  of  our  know- 
ledge, those  are  said  to  have  the  same  mind  who  have  the 
14 


106  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VI. 

same  belief  and  the  same  sentiments  in  religion.  The  present 
state  of  the  Philippian  church  gave  occasion  to  the  apostle  to 
address  this  good  and  suitable  exhortation  to  them  ;  for  the  evil 
workers  of  the  circumcision,  whom  he  afterwards  names,  having 
an  eye  upon  this  flock,  and  endeavouring  to  slip  in  their  false 
and  deadly  opinions,  of  the  necessity  of  the  Mosaic  law,  and 
of  the  mixture  of  its  ceremonies  with  the  gospel,  gave  just 
reason  for  Paul  to  apprehend  that  their  minds  might  be  di- 
vided, and  that  some  members  of  this  church  might  receive  in 
their  understandings  this  strange  doctrine.  Thus  he  could 
very  properly  exhort  them  to  stand  fast  in  one  spirit,  and  not 
to  permit  that  diversity  of  opinions  should  divide  and  puzzle 
their  minds,  breaking  that  holy  unity  of  faith  in  which  his 
preaching  had  previously  bound  them. 

But  perhaps  it  will  not  be  less  proper  to  refer  what  he  says 
to  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  to  his  grace,  and  those  salutary  effects 
which  are  often  called  by  his  name  in  scripture.  For  this 
Spirit  is  the  sole  cause  of  our  constancy  and  perseverance  in 
the  faith  ;  and  as  our  body,  deprived  of  the  soul,  which  gives  it 
life,  immediately  falls  to  the  earth,  having  no  more  strength 
nor  vigour,  so  also  it  is  impossible  that  a  man  should 
remain  good  and  continue  firm  in  piety  if  this  holy  Spirit 
should  fail  him.  It  is  then  with  good  reason  that  the  apostle 
refers  us  to  him  for  continuance  in  this  holy  profession  :  "  Stand 
fast  in  one  spirit/'  says  he  ;  that  is  to  say,  by  the  Spirit  of  God 
with  which  Jesus  Christ  has  baptized  you.  Eetain  him 
amongst  you,  so  that,  delighting  and  animating  you  with  his 
salutary  presence,  he  may  preserve  you  from  backsliding. 
How  many  are  there,  dear  brethren,  whom  the  neglect  of  this 
great  Comforter  has  thrown  into  deadly  sorrows  !  They  grieve 
him  by  the  impurity  of  their  lives,  by  the  coldness  of  their 
devotion,  by  the  licence  of  their  thoughts,  by  the  audacity  of 
their  reasonings,  and  by  the  impiety  of  their  opinions.  This 
divine  guest,  grieved  by  such  bad  and  irreverent  conduct,  de- 
parts from  their  souls,  which  are  as  immediately  taken  posses- 
sion of  by  their  spiritual  enemy,  who  never  fails  in  the  end 
either  to  drive  them  into  the  abyss  of  infidelity  or  superstition. 
This  is  undoubtedly  the  real  cause  of  the  rebellion  of  the 
greater  part  of  those  who  have  quitted  us.  That  we  may  not 
fall  into  their  calamity,  let  us  walk  purely  and  holily  under  the 
eyes  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Let  us  serve  him  in  truth;  let  us 
draw  him  into  our  hearts.  Let  us  take  no  rest  till  we  hear  his 
voice,  and  experience  his  movements.  But  the  apostle  says 
that  this  Spirit  is  one.  It  is  very  true  that  that  might  relate 
to  his  person.  For  as  there  is  but  one  Father,  and  one  Son, 
so  also  there  is  but  one  Spirit.  But  I  am  of  opinion  that  here 
Paul  rather  looks  to  the  uniformity  of  his  graces;  for  he 
spreads  in  all  believers,  though  in  divers  measures,  the  same 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  107 

faith,  the  same  love,  and  the  same  hope  ;  by  reason  of  which 
the  scripture  says  that  we  all  make  but  one  and  the  same 
body:  "  For  by  one  Spirit  we  are  all  baptized  into  one  body," 
1  Cor.  xii.  13.  It  is  then  in  the  enjoyment  and  participation 
of  this  one  Spirit  that  we  must  look  for  our  continuance  in  the 
church  ;  it  being  evident  that  no  body  could  live  if  agitated 
by  two  different  minds,  nor  could  one  state  support  itself  if 
the  people  were  governed  by  divers  and  conflicting  authorities  ; 
so  also  would  the  church  inevitably  fall  into  ruin,  were  the 
members  of  whom  it  is  composed  led,  or  rather,  to  speak  more 
properly,  torn,  by  many  contrary  spirits. 

III.  But  because  this  perseverance  of  believers  is  opposed 
in  many  places,  and  by  many  kinds  of  enemies,  it  is  impossible 
to  maintain  it  without  fighting.  This  is  the  reason  why  the 
apostle  adds,  as  the  second  part  of  our  duty,  "Striving  to- 
gether with  one  mind  by  the  faith  of  the  gospel."  Some  trans- 
late it  for  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  or  "together  with  ;"  as  if  it 
directed  us  to  aid  or  help  the  faith  with  all  our  powers,  to  pre- 
vent its  being  extinguished,  or  tarnished,  or  obscured  by  the 
malice  or  violence  of  the  enemy.  But  it  seems  much  more 
proper  to  understand  it  as  it  is  translated  in  our  Bible,  "  by 
the  faith  ;"  by  which  faith  is  the  weapon,  and  not  merely  the 
subject  of  our  warfare.  Thus  you  see  that  the  apostle  recom- 
mends us,  in  the  first  place,  to  fight  ;  then,  union  and  agree- 
ment in  this  spiritual  combat;  and  finally,  shows  us  what 
means  or  what  arms  we  ought  to  employ,  that  is  to  say,  the 
faith  of  the  gospel,  that  we  may  happily  accomplish  it.  As  to 
the  first,  it  is  not  here  only  that  Paul  compares  the  condition 
of  the  christian  to  a  warfare.  "  Endure  hardness,  (says  he  to 
Timothy,)  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ,"  2  Tim.  ii.  3. 
"  No  man  that  warreth  entangleth  himself  with  the  affairs  of 
this  life."  And  elsewhere  to  the  Ephesians,  he  bids  us  "  put 
on  the  whole  armour  of  God  ;  for  we  wrestle  not  against  flesh 
and  blood,  but  against  principalities  and  powers,"  Eph.  vi.  11, 
12.  And  in  2  Cor.  x.  4,  he  says  of  our  warfare,  and  of  the 
arms  that  must  be  employed  in  it,  that  they  "  are  not  carnal, 
but  mighty  through  God  to  the  pulling  down  of  strong  holds." 
Indeed,  if  you  consider  attentively  the  condition  of  a  christian, 
you  will  confess  that  that  which  Job  formerly  said  of  all  men 
in  general  belongs  to  him  in  particular,  namely,  that  his  life 
was  a  warfare  upon  earth,  Job  vii.  1,  or,  (to  follow  more  closely 
the  comparison  of  our  apostle,)  a  furious  and  bloody  battle,  in 
which  he  is  always  in  danger,  and  always  engaged  with  cruel 
and  implacable  enemies.  Jesus  Christ  is  his  General  ;  the 
spectator,  arbiter,  and  judge  of  his  combats.  The  devil  and 
all  his  servants,  the  profane,  the  superstitious,  heretics,  tyrants, 
and  others  whose  numbers  are  infinite,  are  his  adversaries. 
Our  flesh  itself,  with  its  perverse  inclinations,  is  on  their  side, 


108  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   VI. 

and  importunes  us  as  much  or  more  than  the  rest  by  its  un- 
derstanding and  collusion  with  the  enemy  without.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  battle  is  the  glory  and  the  truth  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
our  own  salvation,  and  that  of  our  brethren.  The  adversaries 
to  snatch  this  precious  treasure  from  our  hands,  employ  both 
force  and  artifice,  and  there  is  nothing  so  abominable  or  so  in- 
famous that  is  not  good  to  them,  if  they  can  injure  us  by  it. 
Who  can  tell  all  their  stratagems,  the  colouring  of  their 
sophisms  to  embellish  lies,  the  tricks  of  their  chicanery  to 
conceal  the  truth  ;  the  subtlety  of  their  wit,  their  promises, 
their  flatteries,  their  menaces,  and  their  invectives  ;  their  words, 
sometimes  as  it  were  steeped  in  honey,  and  then  again  in  gall  ; 
their  arrows,  some  of  gold,  and  others  of  iron  ;  their  calumnies 
against  the  good  cause,  their  pretences  for  the  bad  ;  their  as- 
siduity, their  zeal,  and  their  indefatigable  industry,  in  spying 
out  all  our  steps,  in  searching  out  all  the  secrets  of  our  condi- 
tion, to  find  out  our  weak  point  and  attack  us  by  it  ?  Who 
can  tell  their  harshness  and  their  blind  injustice  to  those  who 
do  not  yield  to  them  ;  the  unkindnesses  and  the  hatred  with 
which  they  oppress  them  ;  the  shame  and  reproach  with  which 
they  overwhelm  them  ;  the  tricks  and  delusions  they  practise 
on  them  ?  If  these  artifices  do  not  succeed,  they  at  last  resort 
to  cruelty  ;  and  the  history  of  the  first  and  last  ages  of  the 
church  shows  us  that  there  never  was  any  thing  more  furious 
nor  more  inhuman  among  men,  than  the  rage  of  the  enemies 
of  the  gospel,  except  that  other  abominable  and  hellish  device 
of  Satan,  when  he  raises  up  persecutors  against  us  from  among 
our  own  offspring  ;  or  false  friends,  who  only  remain  with 
Jesus  Christ  to  give  him  up  to  the  priests,  and  who  only  kiss 
to  betray.  I  have  not  enumerated  many  other  of  the  wicked- 
nesses of  the  enemy.  I  should  never  have  done  were  I  to  enter 
into  all  the  particulars.  Neither  is  it  necessary,  for  the  trials 
in  which  it  pleases  God  to  place  us  all  every  day  teach  us  enough 
of  them.  It  is  then  against  this  thick  crowd,  against  men  and 
devils,  against  the  great  and  little,  against  the  learned  and  the 
ignorant,  against  impiety  and  superstition,  against  fraud  and 
violence,  against  enemies  from  without  and  false  brethren  from 
within,  that  you  must  fight,  0  christian  !  If  there  is  difficulty, 
there  is  still  more  honour  in  the  enterprise  ;  and  its  necessity 
is  not  less  apparent  than  its  glory.  For  it  must  be  granted 
that  in  this  engagement  you  must  either  conquer  or  perish 
eternally.  There  is  no  middle  course.  Courage,  then,  be- 
lievers !  Listen  to  the  apostle,  who  cries  to  you,  "Fight  ;"  and 
to  Christ,  who  promises  to  assist  you  in  the  combat,  and  to 
crown  you  in  the  heavens  after  the  victory.  Stand  fast,  and 
support  this  great  onset.  Shut  your  ears  to  the  flatteries  and 
to  the  promises  of  the  enemy.  Eeject  the  vain  fancies  of  those 
who  uudertake  to  make  truth  asrree  with  error,  and  light  with 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  109 

darkness.  Persevere  in  an  open  and  pure  profession  of  the 
gospel.  Oppose  your  confession  to  the  blasphemies  of  the 
enemy;  your  prayers  to  his  curses  ;  your  thoughts,  your  words, 
and  your  actions  to  all  his  efforts.  May  the  day  of  the  Lord 
find  you  standing.  "  Whosoever  shall  persevere  unto  the  end, 
the  same  shall  be  saved,"  Matt.  xiv.  13. 

But  remember,  believers,  to  fight  together,  as  the  apostle  di- 
rects, with  one  mind,  and  one  soul,  as  the  original,  /"'<*  <P»xn.    As 
there  is  no  body  or  society  more  noble  than  the  church,  so 
there  is  none  in  which  union  and  concord  are  more  necessary. 
You  are  begotten  of  the  same  seed,  that  is  to  say,  of  the  gos- 
pel, brought  up  in  the  same  family,  nourished  with  the  same 
food,  animated  by  the  same  Spirit,  destined  to  the  same  inheri- 
tance.    If  so  many  close  ties  cannot  unite  you,  at  any  rate  let 
this  common  warfare  in  which  you  are  engaged,  this  common 
danger  that  you  run,  and  these  common  enemies  with  whom 
you  contend,  extinguish  your  differences,  and  make  you  rally 
together  for  your  common  preservation  and  defence.     Often 
among  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth,  the  fear  of  an  enemy  with- 
out stays  the  misunderstandings  and  quarrels  within.     Let  us 
imitate  in  this  respect  the  prudence  of  the  children  of  this 
world.      Let    every   difference  that    there   may   be    in   our 
thoughts,    our   dispositions,    and   affections    sleep    in   eternal 
silence.     Let  us  all  do  what  the  cause  of  the  Saviour  requires, 
keeping  whatever  strength  we  have  for  this  enterprise  alone, 
without  wasting  the  least  part  elsewhere.     "Whatever  you  may 
have  of  wisdom  or  courage,  turn  it  against  the  enemy.     May 
he  alone  feel  the  vigour  of  your  arm,  and  the  point  of  your 
weapons.     It  is  not  against  your  brother  that  they  should  be 
employed.     They  are  made,  and  they  have  been  given  you,  to 
defend,  and  not  to  wound  him;  to  preserve,  and  not  to  shed 
his  blood.     God  forbid  that  the  army  of  Israel  should  do  as 
the  army  of  Midian  did  formerly  ;  which,  alarmed  by  a  spirit 
of  terror  and  division,  turned  against  themselves,  every  one 
raising  his  sword  against  his  companion.     For  if,  when  well 
united  together,  we  can  nevertheless  only  subsist  by  a  mi- 
racle, what  can  we  expect  but  certain  and  inevitable  ruin  if 
we  separate;  and  if,  instead  of  helping,  we  tear  each  other? 
I  say  it  with  regret,  it  is  nothing  but  our  division,  my  breth- 
ren, which  has  prevented  the  defeat  of  the  enemy,  and  the 
triumph  of  the  church.     If  we  had  all  fought  together,  we 
should  long  ago  have  been  conquerors.     But  Satan,  who  can- 
not stand  against  our  united  forces,  planned  to  separate  them, 
by  throwing   amongst  us   unhappy  differences,  which   have 
weakened  our  body,  and  uselessly  consumed  against  ourselves 
that  which  ought  only  to  have  been  employed  against  the 
common  enemy.     As  the  effects  of  discord  are  so  fatal,  dear 
brethren,  if  we  love  the  glory  of  God,  if  we  desire  our  own 


110  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VI. 

salvation,  let  us  promptly  extinguish  whatever  there  may  have 
been  amongst  us  of  hatred,  animosity,  differences,  and  passions, 
contrary  to  that  mutual  love  which  we  owe  to  one  another. 
Let  us  give  all  our  interest  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  sal- 
vation of  the  church,  and  let  us  unite  in  such  a  perfect  con- 
cord, that  it  may  be  truly  said  of  us  as  of  the  early  christians, 
"  that  we  have  but  one  heart  and  one  soul,"  Acts  iv.  32  ;  and 
that  all  this  congregation  may  be  like  a  divine  army  of  people, 
who,  animated  by  one  spirit,  and  aiming  at  the  same  object, 
fight  all  together  with  one  mind.  Then  we  shall  experience 
the  truth  of  the  saying  of  the  prophet,  "  that  it  is  there  that 
the  Lord  has  commanded  his  blessing,  and  life  for  evermore," 
Psal.  cxxxiii. 

Besides,  for  this  great  combat,  the  apostle  arms  us  with  faith 
alone.     By  it  believers  have  "  conquered  kingdoms,"  Heb.  xi. 
By  it  they  have  "  shut  the  mouths  of  lions,  stopped  the  violence 
of  fire,  and  escaped  the  edge  of  the  sword."     By  it  they  waxed 
valiant  in  fight,  and  turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens. 
Faith  is  the  shield  of  the  believer,  by  which  he  quenches  the 
fiery  darts  of  the  enemy,  Eph.  vi.  16.     It  is  the  victory  which 
has  overcome  the  world.     For  if  we  are  really  and  truly  per- 
suaded of  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  what  temptation  can  there 
be  that  shall  be  capable  of  shaking  us  ?     What  arrow  or  what 
sword  shall  not  be  turned  back  by  such  a  solid  shield?     Will 
the  multitude  of  the  enemy,  the  pomp  of  their  preparation, 
their  strength,  and  their  fury,  make  us  throw  down  our  arms? 
How  can  they,  when  faith  shows  us  Jesus  Christ  on  our  side, 
with  the  legions  of  his  angels,  infinitely  more  powerful  both 
in  number  and  strength  than  all  the  armies  of  the  world  and 
of  hell?     We  will  laugh   at  their   efforts,  and  be   as   little 
touched  with  the  magnificence  of  their  promises  as  alarmed  at 
the  terror  of  their  threatenings,  because  faith  shows  us  bless- 
ings and  evils  infinitely  greater  than  those  of  the  world  ;  the 
first  prepared  for  those  who  persevere,  and  the  others  for  those 
who  are  led  away  by  temptation.     Prisons,  losses,  exile,  afflic- 
tions, torments,  and  even  death  itself,  can  do  nothing  against 
us;   as  we  are  assured  that  for  these  little  sufferings  we  shall 
for  ever  enjoy  a  perfect  felicity  in  the  heavens.     For  the  earth 
and  its  dust,  God  will  give  us  heaven  and  its  light  ;   for  false  » 
hope  and  vanity,  a  solid  and  weighty  glory  ;   for  trifling  plea- 
sures, eternal  bliss;  for  a  building  of  clay,  a  heavenly  palace; 
for  a  vile  life,  a  blessed  immortality.    Dear  brethren,  it  is  only 
the  want  of  faith  which  ruins  us.     If  we  have  it  only  as  a 
grain  of  mustard  seed,  we  may  remove  mountains,  as  says  the 
Lord  in  the  gospel,  Matth.  xvii.  20  ;  that  is  to  say,  we  might 
do  wonders.     There  would  be  no  difficulty  that  we  should  not 
conquer,  no  mountain  could  present  itself  which  faith  could 
not  remove,  nor  abyss  that  it  would  not  close  before  us. 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  Ill 

IV.  After  having  supplied  us  with  so  good  a  weapon,  the 
apOstle  is  right  in  ordering  us,  in  the  third  place,  "  to  be  in 
nothing  terrified  by  our  adversaries."  I  acknowledge,  that  to 
look  at  them  with  the  mind  of  the  flesh,  they  are  capable  of 
causing  us  alarm.  But  if  you  regard  them  with  the  eye  of 
faith,  you  will  find  that  all  their  fury  ought  only  to  excite 
pity,  and  not  apprehension.  For  in  reality  they  are  but  an 
empty  trouble,  a  tempest  which,  with  much  noise  and  clamour, 
discharges  itself  uselessly,  without  being  able  to  do  us  any 
harm.  Let  them  fret  and  storm  as  much  as  they  please,  they 
cannot  take  from  us  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  peace  of  conscience, 
the  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  heavenly  life;  that  is  to  say  in 
one  word,  supreme  happiness.  Their  blows,  for  the  most  part, 
can  but  fall  on  this  poor  flesh,  and  upon  those  things  with 
which  it  is  surrounded.  Our  true  life,  and  our  true  blessings, 
are  in  safety,  above  the  reach  of  their  rage.  "  Fear  not  (says 
the  Lord)  those  who  can  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill 
the  soul."  Besides,  they  have  no  other  power  over  our  body, 
or  over  the  other  things  which  we  possess  on  earth,  but  what  God 
gives  them,  that  same  God  who  is  for  us,  our  Prince  and  our 
Father.  Live  then  in  assurance,  O  truly  blessed  flock  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Look  on  your  adversaries  without  dismay,  with 
a  calm  and  steadfast  soul.  These  great  efforts,  in  which  they 
exhaust  all  their  mind  and  strength,  shall  fall  on  their  own 
heads,  and  instead  of  ruining,  will  only  help  to  establish  you. 
Instead  of  disturbing,  they  will  permanently  establish  your 
happiness.  And  this  is  what  Paul  represents,  when  he  adds, 
in  speaking  of  their  hatred,  and  of  the  persecution  with  which 
they  pursue  the  truth,  "that  it  is  to  them  a  token  of  perdi- 
tion, but  to  you  of  salvation."  For  since  it  is  just  in  God  (as 
the  apostle  teaches  elsewhere)  that  affliction  should  be  given  to 
those  who  afflict  us,  and  rest  to  us  who  are  afflicted,  according 
to  his  immutable  decree  to  punish  for  ever  in  hell  those  who 
persecute  the  gospel,  and  to  crown  with  immortal  glory  in  the 
heavens  those  who  suffer  for  the  truth  ;  what  greater  or  more 
certain  testimony  can  you  have,  both  of  their  perdition  and 
of  your  salvation,  than  the  afflictions  that  they  make  you  suf- 
fer for  the  profession  of  his  law?  I  acknowledge  that  there  is 
a  great  difference  in  the  union  of  these  two  consequences  with 
that  which  precedes  them,  and  that  if  the  persecution  of  the 
one  merits  hell,  heaven  is  not  due  to  the  patience  of  the  others, 
judging  them  by  strict  justice.  But  while  it  is  the  goodness 
and  mercy  of  the  Lord  which  crowns  your  patience  with  his 
glory,  whereas  it  is  his  justice  which  punishes  the  cruelty  of 
your  persecutors  with  the  torments  of  hell  ;  nevertheless,  as 
the  consequences  of  these  two  effects  are  necessary  and  certain, 
and  that  it  cannot  be  but  that  the  believer,  suffering  with  pa- 
tience, shall  be  saved,  nor  but  that  the  adversary,  persecuting 


112  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VI. 

the  truth,  must  perish,  it  is  obvious  that  the  war  which  they 
wage  against  you  on  account  of  the  gospel  is  a  clear  and  cer- 
tain demonstration,  both  of  their  perdition  and  of  your  salva- 
tion. Far,  then,  from  being  troubled  by  this  sort  of  affliction, 
you  ought,  on  the  contrary,  to  regard  it  as  a  seal  of  your  hap- 
piness ;  and  as  to  your  adversaries,  to  conceive  for  them  more 
pity  than  hatred  or  indignation,  seeing  the  unhappy  end  to 
which  they  are  proceeding,  by  the  blind  hatred  and  unjust 
persecution  of  that  which  they  ought  most  to  love  and 
cherish.  You  see,  beloved  brethren,  what  is  the  meaning  of 
the  lesson  which  the  apostle  gives  us  to-day  in  this  text. 
Never  was  it  more  needed  than  in  these  degenerate  times,  in 
which  impiety  and  error,  profaneness  and  superstition,  perfidy 
and  treason  from  within,  hatred  and  violence  from  without, 
employ  every  thing  that  is  most  malignant  and  dangerous 
against  the  truth.  Believers,  as  God  has  given  you  the  grace- 
to  know  and  to  embrace  its  profession,  fight  valiantly  for  it, 
and  show  in  this  conflict  a  constancy  and  a  courage  worthy  of 
so  good  a  cause.  Be  not  troubled,  either  by  the  efforts  of  the 
enemies,  or  the  seductions  of  false  brethren,  nor  yet  by  the 
bad  examples  of  apostates.  Fix  your  eyes  on  Jesus  the 
Prince  of  your  profession.  May  nothing  snatch  from  your 
heart  the  divine  deposit  that  he  has  placed  there.  Preserve  it 
more  tenderly  than  the  apple  of  your  eye.  Stand  nobly  fast 
in  one  spirit.  Fight  together  with  one  heart  by  the  faith  of 
the  gospel,  opposing  your  union  to  the  plots  of  the  enemy  ; 
the  truth  of  heaven  to  the  lies  of  the  earth  ;  the  hope  of  sal- 
vation to  the  threats  of  the  world;  the  consolation  of  the 
Spirit,  and  the  glory  of  the  world  to  come,  to  the  evils  we 
must  endure  in  this  ;  and  to  calumny  a  conversation  which  is 
truly  worthy  of  this  heavenly  doctrine,  of  which  you  make 
profession  :  so  that  after  having  here  fought  this  good  fight, 
kept  the  faith,  and  finished  your  course,  you  may  one  day  re- 
ceive, from  the  merciful  hand  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  the  com- 
pany of  saints  and  angels,  that  crown  of  righteousness  laid  up 
for  those  who  shall  have  loved  his  appearing.  Thus  may  it 
be  with  you  ;  and  to  him,  the  only  true  God,  with  the  Father, 
and  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  honour,  praise,  and  glory,  for  ever  and 
ever.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  10th  June,  1640. 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  113 

SERMON  VII. 

VEKSES  28 — 30. 

And  that  of  God.  For  unto  you  it  is  given  in  the  behalf  of  Christ, 
not  only  to  believe  on  him,  but  also  to  suffer  for  his  sake  ;  having 
the  same  conflict  ivhich  ye  saw  in  me,  and  now  hear  to  be  in  me. 

One  of  the  christian's  greatest  consolations,  amidst  all  his 
conflicts,  is  the  firm  assurance  which  he  feels  that  all  his  affairs 
are  conducted  by  the  providence  of  God,  and  that  nothing  can 
happen  to  him  but  by  divine  permission.  For  this  sovereign 
Lord,  loving  us  infinitely,  and  being  moreover  perfectly  wise 
and  powerful,  if  we  be  persuaded  that  it  is  he  who  governs  our 
life,  it  is  impossible  but  that  we  should  look  forward  with  a 
well-grounded  hope  of  a  happy  termination  to  all  the  difficulties 
in  which  we  may  find  ourselves  involved.  For  this  reason  we 
ought  always  to  have  our  eyes  upon  his  hand,  and  consider  it 
as  the  true  source  which  dispenses  to  us  good  or  evil  ;  to  enjoy 
the  one  with  gratitude,  and  to  bear  the  other  with  submission. 
But  we  ought  to  be  particularly  armed  with  this  thought  in 
those  afflictions  which  from  their  nature  most  violently  trouble 
our  mind,  and  be  certain  that  it  is  the  Lord  which  sends  them, 
and  that  without  his  will  and  his  order  neither  men,  nor  other 
causes  which  alarm  us,  could  have  any  power  against  us.  Thus 
Job,  when  suddenly  overwhelmed  with  divers  calamities,  did 
not  fix  his  mind  either  upon  the  Sabeans  and  Chaldeans  who 
had  ravaged  and  pillaged  his  flocks,  nor  on  the  tempest  which 
had  crushed  all  his  family  under  the  ruins  of  a  single  house  ; 
but  rising  above  the  heavens  to  God  himself,  and  acknowledg- 
ing him  as  the  true  author  of  all  these  severe  blows,  made  this 
beautiful  and  magnificent  confession,  "  The  Lord  hath  given, 
and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away,  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 
David  afterwards  did  the  same  in  a  case  of  a  similar  nature, 
when  Shimei  insolently  insulted  him  in  his  deep  affliction; 
"  Let  him  do  it,  (said  he  to  his  servants,)  for  the  Lord  has  said 
to  him,  Curse  David."  2  Sam.  xvi.  11.  This  our  apostle  points 
out  to  his  Philippians  in  the  text  we  have  just  read,  for  their 
consolation  under  the  persecutions  they  were  suffering  for  the 
gospel.  He  conjures  them  in  the  preceding  verses  not  to  be 
alarmed  either  by  the  menaces  or  cruelties  of  their  adversaries, 
telling  them  that  these  trials  would  terminate  in  the  perdition 
of  the  persecutors,  and  in  the  salvation  of  the  persecuted.  Now, 
to  keep  and  fix  this  thought  in  their  hearts,  he  recalls  to  their 
recollection,  that  it  is  God  who  guides  the  whole  business  ;  so 
that  from  the  power,  wisdom,  and  justice  of  this  great  Director, 
15 


114  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VII. 

they  should  wait  with  confidence  the  happy  success  which  he 
promises  them  in  this  conflict  :  "  And  that  of  God.     For  unto 
you  it  is  given  in  the  behalf  of  Christ,  not  only  to  believe  on 
him,  but  also  to  suffer  for  his  sake  :  having  the  same  conflict 
which  ye  saw  in  me,  and  now  hear  to  be  in  me."     The  phrase 
at  the  beginning,  "And  that  of  God,"  may  relate  to  both  the 
points  to  which  we  have  adverted  ;  that  is  to  say,  as  much  to 
the  perdition  of  the  persecutors,  who  were  hastening  it  by  their 
outrages,  as  to  the  salvation  of  believers,  who  were  advancing 
to  it  by  their  sufferings  ;  for  it  is  evident,  in  the  doctrine  of 
scripture,  that  however  wicked  and  impious  the  cruelties  of 
the  enemies  of  the  gospel  may  be  against  believers,  neverthe- 
less, it  cannot  happen  without  the  permission  and  the  guidance 
of  the  Lord,  who  also  punishes  the  rebellion  of  those  who  re- 
ject his  grace,  and  do  not  receive  the  love  of  his  truth  ;  leaving 
them  to  fall  into  horrors  worthy  of  the  curse  of  heaven  and 
earth,  and  particularly  directing  the  point  of  their  rage  against 
those  of  his  servants  whom  he  desires  either  to  chastise,  prove, 
or  glorify.     And  this  is  what  David  meant  in  saying  that  God 
had  "  commanded  Shimei  to  curse  him  :"  not  to  signify  that  the 
Lord  (that  is  to  say,  equity  and  goodness  itself)  had  incited 
this  wretch  to  commit  so  abominable  an  outrage,  or  that  he 
had  given  him  an  order  for  it  either  by  word  or  vision  ;  but 
rather,  that  finding  these  evils  in  the  heart  of  this  miserable 
being,  he  was  expressly  willing  to  permit  that  they  should  be 
poured  out  on  his  servant  for  the  purpose  of  humbling  him. 
But  although  this  meaning  may  be  very  true,  it  appears  in  this 
place  that  the  apostle  was  only  thinking  of  what  regarded  be- 
lievers.    This  is  the  only,  or  at  least  the  principal,  design  of 
his  words,  as  appears  by  the  reason  he  adds,  which  only  relates 
to  believers  ;  "  For  unto  you  it  is  given  in  the  behalf  of  Jesus 
Christ,  not  only  to  believe  on  him,  but  also  to  suffer  for  his 
sake;"  evidently  signifying  by  these  words,  "and  that  of  God," 
that  he  meant  only,  or  principally,  the  arrangement  which  the 
Lord  had  made  for  conducting  the  Philippians  to  salvation  by 
the  sufferings  with  which  they  were  exercised  for  the  profession 
of  his  gospel.     For  this  reason,  without  stopping  to  inquire 
into  the  conduct  of  divine  Providence  with  regard  to  perse- 
cutors, we  will  simply  rest  upon  the  fact  that  it  has  ordained 
the  afflictions  of  believers,  and  consider  the  part  that  it  takes 
in  them,  according  to  what  the  apostle  teaches  us  in  this  text: 
and,  that  we  may  the  better  understand  it,  we  will  divide  the 
exposition  into  three  parts,  examining,  in  the  first  place,  what 
he  says,  "  that  it  was  freely  given  to  the  Philippians  to  believe 
in  Christ  ;"  and  then  what  he  adds,  "  that,  besides  that,  it  had 
also  been  freely  given  to  them  to  suffer  for  the  Lord  ;"  and, 
finally,  that  which  he  particularly  touches  in  their  sufferings, 
in  saying  that  they  sustain  a  conflict  like  that  which  they  had 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS'.  115 

formerly  seen  in  him,  and  also  like  the  one  in  which  they  knew 
him  to  be  then  at  Rome. 

I.  What  he  says  at  the  beginning,  that  it  was  on  the  behalf 
of  Ghrist  that  it  was  given  them  to  believe  in  him,  and  also  to 
suffer  for  him,  seems  to  mean  that  it  is  for  the  love  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  because  of  him,  and  for  his  sake,  that  God  hath  given 
him  these  two  graces  ;  which  is  indeed  perfectly  true.  For  the 
Lord  Jesus  having  by  his  death  appeased  the  anger  of  God, 
and  opened  a  road  for  his  loving-kindness,  has  made  us  ca- 
pable of  receiving  his  favours,  whereas,  without  such  a  pro- 
pitiation, we  could  have  only  been  the  objects  of  his  indignation 
and  vengeance  ;  from  whence  it  follows  that  he  is  the  cause, 
and  the  only  source,  both  of  the  first  grace  that  God  has  given 
us,  to  believe,  and  of  all  the  others  which  he  adds,  and  particu- 
larly of  the  honour  which  he  communicates  to  us  when  he 
chooses  us  for  witnesses  and  defenders  of  his  gospel.  Never- 
theless, to  look  at  the  words  of  the  apostle  as  they  are  in  the 
original,  it  seems  that  this  is  not  what  he  here  intends,  and 
that  these  words,  "  for  Christ,"  simply  signify,  "  in  what  re- 
gards Jesus  Christ,  in  that  which  concerns  his  cause  and  his 
gospel."  As  if  he  had  said,  that  in  the  affairs  of  the  Lord  and 
of  his  salvation  all  is  given  to  us  freely,  and  nothing  happens, 
with  respect  to  them,  which  does  not  come  from  the  pure 
bounty  of  God,  and  both  what  we  do  and  what  we  suffer  is 
alike  grace.  The  apostle  uses  the  same  mode  of  speaking  in 
the  10th  verse  of  the  4th  chapter,  praising  the  Philippians, 
that  the  care  they  had  of  him  was  flourishing  again  ;  where 
the  words  which  signify,  "  as  to  the  care  that  you  have  forme," 
are  arrauged  exactly  in  the  same  manner  as  these  which  are 
here  employed,  to  say  "  for  Christ,  or  in  behalf  of  Christ,"  as 
those  know  who  understand  the  Greek  language. 

As  to  the  faith  of  which  the  apostle  speaks  in  the  first  place, 
one  may  gather  from  his  words  three  things  :  1st,  That  faith 
is  the  gift  of  God  ;  "  it  is  given  you  to  believe,"  says  he. 
2dly,  That  it  is  a,  free  gift,  that  is  to  say,  has  been  communicated 
to  us  by  the  sole  goodness  of  God,  without  any  merit  on  our 
part  ;  "  it  is  freely  given  you,"  says  he  ;  for  the  word  here  em- 
ployed by  the  apostle  signifies  precisely  that.  And,  finally, 
that  it  is  a  grace  peculiar  to  believers,  and  not  common  to 
other  men  ;  "  it  is  given  to  you"  says  he,  opposing  them  to  others, 
and  particularly  to  the  adversaries  of  whom  he  spoke  in  the 
preceding  verse.  That  faith  is  a  gift  of  God,  is  a  truth  so  evi- 
dent, that  there  is  no  christian  who  does  not  acknowledge  it 
to  be  so.  And  you  will  see  it  easily,  if  you  consider  for  a 
moment,  on  the  one  side,  what  is  the  object  of  faith  ;  and,  on 
the  other,  what  is  the  power  of  our  nature.  Faith  is  a 
certain  and  assured  knowledge  of  the  mysteries  of  the  gospel  ; 
it  is  "to  believe  in  Jesus,"  to  see,  with  open  eyes,  the  mercy, 


116  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VII. 

the  wisdom,  the  power,  and  the  justice  of  God  displayed  in 
their  highest  degree  on  the  cross  of  his  Son  for  the  redemption  of 
men.  The  things  which  are  the  objects  of  faith  are  all  heavenly 
and  divine  ;  viz.,  the  purpose  of  God  to  send  his  Son  into  the 
world,  and  to  clothe  him  with  our  flesh,  and  to  deliver  him  up 
to  the  death  of  the  cross,  the  price  of  his  sufferings,  and  the 
expiation  of  our  sins  ;  his  resurrection,  and  his  triumph,  a 
blessed  immortality,  the  exquisite  and  singular  example  of 
holiness  and  of  love  which  the  gospel  presents  to  us.  Never 
had  the  eye  of  man  seen  any  of  these  things,  his  ear  had  never 
heard  them,  nor  had  they  ever  entered  into  his  heart  to  con- 
ceive. It  is  God  alone  who,  from  the  depth  of  his  treasures, 
has  drawn,  forth  this  new  and  unknown  wisdom.  And  as  it 
is  he  who  has  revealed  it  by  the  Son  of  his  love,  it  is  he  also 
who  has  presented  us  its  image  by  the  hand  of  his  ministers, 
having,  by  the  power  of  his  Spirit,  raised  up  the  apostles  and 
their  successors,  and  particularly  those  who  have  taught  us. 
All  this  is  the  work  of  his  goodness,  and  of  his  power.  But 
this  is  not  all.  Besides  that,  the  substance  itself  of  this  holy 
doctrine  is  altogether  the  fruit  and  the  production  of  God, 
neither  men  nor  angels  having  been  capable  of  revealing  any- 
thing like  it  ;  the  very  circumstance  of  our  having  received  it 
into  our  hearts,  and  been  persuaded  of  its  truth,  is  also  a  gift  of 
this  same  Lord.  You  see  likewise  that  the  apostle  does  not 
simply  say  that  faith  has  been  given  us,  which  a  malicious 
person  might,  in  some  degree,  pervert,  as  being  the  sole  object 
of  faith,  and  of  the  doctrine  that  it  embraces,  which  all  ac- 
knowledge to  be  the  instruction  of  God.  But  he  says  ex- 
pressly, "  that  it  is  given  us  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,"  which 
necessarily  implies  that  this  movement  itself  of  our  heart, 
opening  to  the  light  of  the  gospel,  and  receiving  the  truth 
that  the  preacher  presents  to  it,  is  a  gift  of  God,  and  not  a 
work  of  nature.  I  acknowledge  that  if  our  mind  were  in  its 
right  and  legitimate  state,  similar  to  that  in  which  it  was 
originally  created,  it  would  receive  this  truth  as  soon  as  it  was 
presented  to  it;  and  that,  to  make  us  believe  the  mysteries  of 
the  gospel,  it  would  only  be  necessary  to  declare  them  to  us,  as 
to  make  a  man  that  can  see  perceive  an  object,  it  only  requires 
to  be  placed  before  his  eyes.  But  the  eyes  of  our  understand- 
ing having  been  injured,  or  rather  blinded,  by  sin,  which  has 
spoiled  and  changed  all  the  powers  of  our  nature,  proposing 
the  gospel  to  us  is  no  more  sufficient  to  insure  our  belief,  than 
would  presenting  visible  objects  to  a  blind  man  suffice  to 
make  him  see.  And  this  is  what  the  apostle  teaches  us  else- 
where, where,  speaking  of  the  mysteries  of  the  gospel,  he  says, 
"  that  the  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the  Spirit 
of  God,"  those  which  the  Spirit  of  God  has  revealed  to  his 
servants,  "for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him;  neither  can  he 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  117 

know  them,  because  they  are  spiritually  discerned,"  1  Cor.  ii. 
14.  Only  it  should  be  remarked,  that  instead  of  its  being  a 
simple  infirmity  and  want  of  natural  power,  claiming  rather 
pity  than  blame,  which  prevents  the  blind  from  seeing  the 
light  which  is  offered  him,  it  is  a  voluntary  sin  deserving  the 
hatred  of  God  and  men,  which  makes  the  unbeliever  misunder- 
stand and  reject  the  truth  which  is  proposed  to  him.  But  if 
the  causes  are  different,  the  effects,  nevertheless,  are  similar; 
it  being  no  more  possible  for  the  natural  man  to  understand 
and  believe  the  gospel,  than  for  the  blind  man  to  see  the  sun. 
Also,  as  when  a  blind  man  is  restored  to  sight  and  to  the  per- 
ception of  visible  objects,  there  are  none  who  do  not  acknow- 
ledge that  this  blessing  is  a  gift  from  heaven,  it  being  clear 
that  nature  could  not  produce  such  an  effect;  so  also  ought  we 
to  confess,  that  if  we  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  it  is  a  grace 
which  has  been  given  us  of  God,  and  not  an  emotion  which, 
we  owe  to  the  natural  strength  of  our  mind.  You  see  also 
that  the  Lord,  speaking  to  believers  in  the  6th  chapter  of 
John,  ver.  45,  says,  quoting  the  prophet  Isaiah,  "  that  they  are 
taught  of  God,"  because  it  is  he  who,  by  the  voice  of  his 
Spirit,  moulds  them  into  the  obedience  of  his  word,  and  writes 
his  covenant  in  the  heart,  as  says  another  prophet,  Jer.  xxxi. 
32.  It  is  he  who  opened  the  heart  of  Lydia  to  attend  to  Paul, 
Acts  xvi.  14.  Paul  plants,  and  Apollos  waters  ;  but  they  are 
neither  of  them  anything.  It  is  God  which  giveth  the  in- 
crease. We  are  his  husbandry,  and  his  work,  1  Cor.  iii.  6,  7, 
9.  It  is  he  who  revealed  his  secret  to  Peter;  it  was  not  flesh 
and  blood,  Matt.  xvi.  17.  It  is  he  who  revealed  his  Son  to 
Paul,  shining  in  his  heart,  that  he  might  enlighten  the  Gen- 
tiles, Gal.  i.  15.  In  fine,  it  is  he  who,  according  to  his  good 
pleasure,  hides  these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and 
reveals  them  unto  babes,  2  Cor.  iv.  6. 

But  the  apostle  does  not  say  simply  that  it  has  been  given 
us  to  believe.  He  makes  use  of  a  word  which  signifies  that  it 
has  been  given  to  us  freely,  as  our  Bibles  have  faithfully  trans- 
lated it  ;  and  by  so  doing  has  refuted  two  errors,  both  contrary 
to  the  truth.  The  first  is  that  of  those  who,  acknowledging 
that  faith  is  a  gift,  add,  that  the  Lord  makes  a  present  of  it  to 
those  who  have  made  a  good  use  of  the  light  of  nature  ;  as  if, 
for  example,  they  were  to  see  a  pagan  who  lives  sincerely  in 
his  error,  they  pretend  that  the  Lord,  induced  by  this  praise- 
worthy conduct,  gives  him  the  faith  of  the  gospel  ;  and  this  is 
what  they  call  in  the  schools  "grace  of  congruity,"  or  prepara- 
tion for  grace.  From  this  they  are  not  far  who  say,  that  the 
good  use  of  the  pretended  free-will  in  afflictions,  mortifications, 
and  the  humility  before  God  which  they  produce  in  the  hearts 
of  the  elect,  is  the  preparation  which  invites  him  to  distribute 
faith  to  them.     The  apostle  condemns  the  vanity  of  these  im- 


118  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VII. 

aginations,  saying,  in  one  word,  that  it  is  given  to  us  freely  to 
believe.  For  according  to  these  people,  faith  is  not  a  free  gift  ; 
it  has  not  been  given  to  us  for  nothing,  but  for  and  in  conse- 
quence of  these  pretended  preparations.  Besides,  as,  according 
to  the  apostle,  Eom.  xiv.  23,  all  that  is  done  without  faith  is 
sin,  it  is  impossible  to  understand  how  man,  before  having 
faith,  can  do  anything  which  should  either  force  or  invite  God 
to  give  it  to  him.  What  !  do  sins  invite  God  to  do  good  to 
men  ?  to  give  them  the  greatest  of  all  blessings,  faith,  which 
comprehends  in  itself  salvation  and  eternal  life  ?  Now  if  these 
pretended  preparations  invite  God  to  give  us  faith,  undoubtedly 
they  must  then  please  him,  notwithstanding  which  the  apostle 
tells  us  elsewhere,  that  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please 
him,  Heb.  xi.  6.  Finally,  if  God  crowns  some  works  with  the 
gift  of  faith,  or  some  dispositions  previous  to  faith,  he  either 
does  it  in  virtue  of  the  works  themselves,  because  they  deserve 
it,  or  in  consequence  of  some  one  of  his  promises.  They  will 
not  say  the  former.  For  they  expressly  confess,  that  to  speak 
properly  man  deserves  nothing  out  of  a  state  of  grace.  But 
neither  can  they  pretend  the  latter,  because  the  promises  of 
God  are  only  addressed  to  those  who  are  in  communion  with 
him,  and  who  consequently  already  have  faith,  without  which 
none  can  enter  into  communion  with  God,  according  to  that 
which  the  apostle  teaches  us  in  Heb.  xi.  6,  "He  that  cometh 
to  God  must  believe  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  a  rewarder  of 
them  that  diligently  seek  him."  God  then  promises  nothing 
to  those  who  have  not  faith,  and  consequently  neither  gives  it 
them,  nor  anything  else,  in  virtue  of  any  promise  which  he  had 
made,  but  from  his  goodness  and  free  grace  alone,  without  be- 
ing at  all  obliged  to  do  so,  either  by  their  works  or  his  promi- 
ses. The  second  error  is  of  those  who  say  that  God  gives  faith 
to  such  as  he  foresees  will  make  a  good  use  of  it.  But  if  that 
were  the  case,  what  the  apostle  says,  that  he  gives  it  to  us  freely 
to  believe,  would  be  false  ;  it  being  evident  that,  according  to 
this,  faith  would  not  be  given  us  for  nothing.  God  would 
give  it  in  consideration  of  something  that  would  be  its  price — 
some  equivalent  on  the  part  of  man  ;  instead  of  which,  that 
which  is  given  gratuitously  excludes  all  price,  and  he  who  re- 
ceives the  gift  after  having  done  something,  and  he  who  re- 
ceives before  he  has  performed  anything,  (for  with  regard  to 
the  future  and  the  past  there  is  no  difference,)  would  both  in 
the  end  pay  a  real  price.  To  which  I  again  add,  that  the  im- 
agination of  these  people  destroys  itself.  For  this  foresight  of 
which  they  speak,  of  the  good  use  of  faith,  can  only  signify 
that  God  foresees,  that  supposing  he  gives  faith  to  a  man,  to 
Peter  or  to  Paul,  for  example,  the  individual  having  once  this 
gift  of  grace,  will  in  consequence  love  the  Lord  and  his  neigh- 
bour, that  is  to  say,  that  he  will  have  piety  and  love.     Now 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  119 

faith  is  of  such  a  nature,  that  he  who  possesses  it  truly  has  also 
piety  and  love,  according  to  the  doctrine  of  John  ;  "  Whoso- 
ever believes  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  is  born  of  God,"  1  John 
v.  1  ;  he  loves  him  by  whom  he  is  begotten,  and  those  that  are 
begotten  of  him  ;  so  that  there  is  no  man  in  whom  you  can 
presuppose  faith,  without  also,  as  a  necessary  consequence, 
adding  both  piety  and  love.  Thus  it  appears  that  God  never 
foresees  that  any  man  will  abuse  faith,  for  that  would  be  to  fore- 
see a  false  thing,  an  impossibility  in  itself,  opposed  to  his  own 
truth  ;  and  which  cannot  be  said  of  the  Lord  without  blas- 
phemy. If  then  this  pretended  foresight  of  a  good  use  of  faith 
was  the  reason  why  he  gives  faith,  he  would  give  it  to  all  men, 
it  not  being  possible  for  any  of  those  to  whom  he  truly  gives 
it  to  abuse  it.  Nevertheless,  one  sees  by  experience  that  the 
number  of  those  to  whom  God  gives  faith  is  very  limited,  in 
comparison  of  those  whom  he  permits  to  fall  into  infidelity. 
Let  us  then  acknowledge  that  it  is  the  grace  of  God  alone,  and 
not  any  consideration  of  what  man  has  done,  or  of  what  he 
will  do  in  future,  which  induces  God  to  give  him  faith.  He 
gives  it  to  us  that  we  may  make  a  good  use  of  it.  This  good 
use  is  the  end  and  effect  of  his  gift,  but  it  is  not  its  cause. 
From  whence  it  follows,  that,  according  to  the  apostle  in  this 
place,  faith  is  truly,  in  every  respect  and  degree,  a  free  gift  of 
God. 

But  in  the  third  and  last  place,  he  again  here  gives  us  a  very 
excellent  lesson  ;  that  is  to  say,  that  the  grace  of  God  by  which 
we  believe,  is  peculiar  to  us,  according  to  what  he  elsewhere 
expressly  says,  "that  all  men  have  not  faith,"  2  Thess.  iii.  2. 
For  it  is  to  distinguish  believers  from  others,  and  to  point  out 
the  advantage  that  they  have  over  them,  that  he  says  to  them 
individually,  "It  is  given  you  to  believe."  Consequently,  this 
gift  was  peculiar  to  them,  as  common  things  make  no  differ- 
ence between  the  subjects  to  which  they  are  common.  From 
whence  it  appears  how  false  is  the  opinion  of  those  who  dog- 
matize that  the  grace  by  which  faith  is  produced  in  us  is  uni- 
versal, and  common  either  to  all  men,  or  at  least  to  those  to 
whom  the  gospel  is  preached.  For  if  that  were  the  case,  it 
would  not  be  the  gift  of  God  (common  to  all  according  to  this 
supposition)  which  would  distinguish  the  believer  from  the  un- 
believer, but  the  choice  and  effort  of  the  man  who  receives 
that  which  others  have  rejected.  Now  Paul  desires  that  this 
gift  of  God  which  causes  us  to  believe  should  distinguish  us 
from  others.  "  It  is  given  you  to  believe,"  says  he.  Accord- 
ing to  the  supposition  of  this  error,  he  ought  simply  to  say, 
"  You  have  believed,"  and  not,  "  It  is  given  you  to  believe  ;" 
for  it  holds,  that  they  had  not  a  peculiar  belief,  the  gift  which 
had  produced  the  belief  in  them  being  common  to  them  (as 
they  pretend)  and  to  those  who  had  rejected  it.     That  which 


120  AN  EXPOSITION   OP  [SERM.   VII. 

the  apostle  adds,  that  it  is  given  them  to  suffer  for  Jesus  Christ, 
still  shows  the  same  thing.  For  as  this  grace  of  God,  from 
which  the  patience  and  the  suffering  of  believers  spring,  was 
evidently  peculiar  to  themselves,  why  was  not  that  from  which 
their  faith  came,  here  expressed  by  the  same  word  and  in  the 
same  way,  also  peculiar  to  them  ?  The  thing  speaks  for  itself. 
For  when  the  Lord  calls  his  elect  to  himself,  he  enlightens  them, 
he  teaches  and  instructs  them  in  his  will.  Certainly  the  grace 
which  he  imparts  is  then  peculiar  to  them,  it  being  evident  that 
he  does  nothing  of  the  kind  to  infidels  and  rebels.  And  the 
Lord  expressly  declares  this,  "Every  man  that  hath  heard  and 
hath  learned  of  the  Father  cometh  unto  me,"  John  vi.  45.  Now 
neither  unbelievers  nor  rebels  come  to  him.  They  therefore 
have  neither  heard  nor  learned  of  him,  they  have  had  no  share 
in  that  divine  teaching  with  which  he  favours  his  elect.  And 
in  fact  you  see  that  it  is  only  believers  who  are  said  to  be 
taught  of  God,  as  well  in  Isaiah  as  by  our  Lord  and  Paul. 
Let  it  therefore  be  concluded,  that  to  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  is 
a  gift  of  the  grace  of  God,  aye  of  a  grace  not  common  to  all, 
but  particular,  and  which  the  Lord  vouchsafes  to  none  but  true 
believers. 

II.  But  do  not  let  us  imagine  that  this  beginning  of  our  salva- 
tion is  all  that  is  afforded  us  by  grace.  The  sam.e  grace  which  gives 
us  the  beginning  gives  also  the  progress  and  the  end.  The 
whole  of  this  work  depends  on  the  merciful  goodness  and  free 
favour  of  the  Lord.  Without  it,  it  is  as  impossible  for  us  to 
persevere  as  to  believe.  The  apostle  teaches  this  in  the  follow- 
ing words,  "that  it  is  given  freely,  not  only  to  believe  in  Christ, 
but  also  to  suffer  for  his  sake."  The  whole  life  of  men  is  full 
of  suffering,  and  neither  birth  nor  fortune  can  exempt  any  one 
from  it.  Nature  subjects  us  to  divers  evils,  and  vice  also  pro- 
cures for  us  its  own  afflictions,  the  discomforts  of  the  body, 
the  vexations  of  the  mind,  the  loss  of  goods  and  honour,  to 
say  nothing  of  those  punishments  which  the  public  laws  award 
to  some  for  their  excesses.  Sometimes  also  the  lustre  of  moral 
honesty,  or  of  extraordinary  knowledge,  or  of  some  other 
good,  esteemed  by  men,  raises  up  against  us  envy  and  trouble. 
There  is  no  manner  of  life  on  the  earth  which  is  not  subject  to 
its  sufferings  and  its  trials,  and  which  has  not  (in  some  way  or 
other)  its  persecutions  and  its  martyrs.  But  this  is  not  what 
the  apostle  means.  It  is  not  by  the  gift  of  the  grace  of  the 
Lord  that  men  enter  into  these  sufferings.  It  is  oftener  by  the 
award  of  his  anger,  and  by  the  order  of  his  avenging  justice. 
These  chastisements  are  rather  the  effect  of  his  wrath  than  the 
gifts  of  his  love.  He  speaks  of  those  which  the  profession  of 
the  gospel  draws  upon  us;  when  it  is  the  name  and  the  cause 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  which  invites  the  persecutor  to  inflict,  and 
us  to  endure  them.     For  if  it  be  heresy,  or  superstition,  or  in- 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  121 

fidelity  which  draw  upon  a  man  the  hatred  or  the  sword  of 
those  who  persecute  him,  it  is  useless  for  him  to  say  that  it  is 
the  name  of  Jesus  ;  it  is  not  for  him  that  he  suffers,  according 
to  that  true  saying  of  the  ancients,  That  it  is  not  the  suffering, 
but  the  cause,  that  makes  the  martyr.  And  as  it  is  not  the 
name  of  Christ  which  causes  him  to  suffer,  so  neither  is  it  his 
grace  which  gives  him  the  courage  to  do  so.  It  is  the  spirit 
of  Satan,  or  the  rage  of  superstition  ;  for  the  devil  has  also  his 
martyrs,  whom  he  disguises  as  cunningly  as  he  can,  in  order 
that  he  may  deceive  men  by  the  specious  colouring  of  false 
strength  of  mind,  or  pretended  patience.  I  will  say  still  more  ; 
although  it  be  truly  the  profession  of  the  gospel  which  incites 
the  world  against  us,  nevertheless,  if  in  the  suffering  you  en- 
dure for  so  good  a  cause  you  seek  your  own  praise  and  the 
glory  of  your  own  name,  it  is  not  really  for  the  Lord  that  you 
suffer.  You  are  a  martyr,  not  for  his  truth,  but  for  your  own 
vanity,  one  of  the  most  abominable  idols  in  the  world.  And 
if  there  be  any  unhappy  person  who  suffers  in  this  way,  whose 
patience  is  such  as  to  give  you  pleasure,  it  is  at  least  very  cer- 
tain that  his  firmness  is  of  earth,  and  not  of  heaven.  It  is  a 
production  of  vice,  and  not  a  gift  of  grace;  a  work  of  the 
flesh,  and  not  a  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  But  Paul  here  speaks  of  a 
suffering  for  Jesus  Christ,  which  is  so  in  deed  and  in  truth, 
and  not  only  in  the  outward  appearance.  It  is  to  that,  and 
not  to  any  other,  that  the  eulogium  belongs,  which  the  apostle 
here  gives,  when  he  says  that  it  is  a  gift  of  the  grace  of  God. 
But  here  let  us  pause  whilst  we  briefly  solve  an  objection, 
which  our  adversaries  derive  from  this  passage,  against  the 
doctrine  of  the  inseparable  union  of  love  with  faith.  For  from 
what  it  declares,  that  it  has  been  given  us  freely,  not  only  to  be- 
lieve in  Christ,  but  also  to  suffer  for  him,  they  conclude  that  it  is 
possible  aman  may  believe  in  the  Lord  without  suffering  for  him, 
and  consequently,  without  loving  him,  and  without  having  love  ; 
pretending,  that  if  it  were  otherwise,  this  language  of  the 
apostle'  would  be  vain  and  impertinent.  But  I  answer,  in  the 
first  place,  that  even  granting  what  they  say,  and  that  it  were 
possible  for  a  man  that  believes  in  Jesus  Christ  not  to  suffer 
for  him,  nevertheless  it  does  not  follow  from  thence  that  we 
can  have  faith  without  love.  For  God  does  not  call  all  those 
to  suffer  for  his  Son  who  have  the  necessary  constancy  and 
zeal  so  to  do.  And  the  apostle  in  this  place  speaks  of  the  vo- 
cation to  suffer  really  and  in  truth  for  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  not  only  of  the  patience  necessary  for  doing  so,  meaning 
to  say  that  it  is  a  grace  that  God  gave  the  Philippians  to  call 
them  to  so  honourable  an  employment.  Secondly,  I  say,  that 
presupposing  the  apostle  here  to  speak  simply  of  the  gift  of 
patience,  still  it  does  not  follow  that  it,  or  the  love  from  which 
it  springs,  can  be  separated  from  faith.  I  acknowledge  that 
16 


122  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VII. 

faith  and  patience  are  two  distinct  gifts.  But  although  different, 
it  does  not  follow  that  they  can  be  separated.  How  many- 
things  are  there  which,  though  varying  in  themselves,  never 
subsist  the  one  without  the  other  !  That  faith  and  patience 
always  go  together  does  not  prevent  their  being  two  graces 
from  God.  Their  inseparable  conjunction  ought  not  to  frus- 
trate the  glory  which  belongs  to  him  of  giving  both  to  be 
lievers.  It  is  on  this  account  that  the  apostle  considers  them 
apart,  although  they  subsist  together,  that  he  may  amplify  the 
liberality  of  the  Lord  towards  us.  And  his  language  is  no 
more  irrelevant  than  what  he  elsewhere  says  of  believers, 
"that  they  rejoiced  not  only  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God, 
but  also  in  tribulations,"  not  to  signify  that  one  may  be  had 
without  the  other,  (for  it  is  certain  that  whoever  rejoices  in 
hope  of  the  glory  of  God  will  also  rejoice  in  tribulations,)  but 
to  deduce  from  it,  and  to  display  before  our  eyes,  all  the  parts 
of  the  assurance,  the  joy,  and  the  spiritual  rejoicing  that  we 
have  in  the  Lord,  considering  them  separately,  although  they 
subsist  together.  This  difficulty  removed,  I  return  to  the  text 
of  the  apostle,  "  that  it  is  freely  given  to  the  Philippians  to 
suffer  for  Jesus  Christ."  I  willingly  admit,  that  by  these  words 
he  means,  in  the  first  place,  that  the  resolution  and  firmness 
of  the  martyrs  and  confessors  is  a  gift  of  grace  ;  that  it  is  God 
that  freely  gives  them  by  his  Spirit  the  courage  and  constancy 
necessary  to  sustain  these  conflicts.  And  if  you  well  consider 
their  history,  and  represent  to  yourselves  the  natural  condition 
of  these  divine  warriors,  if  you  examine  their  conduct,  their 
word,  the  disposition  of  their  mind,  and  even  of  their  body, 
in  the  midst  of  those  great  and  terrible  trials,  you  will  confess 
that  their  strength  was  undoubtedly  the  gift  of  the  grace  of 
God.  Persons  of  all  ages,  sexes,  and  qualities  are  seen  to 
suffer  nobly  for  the  name  of  a  crucified  man,  all  that  the  most 
horrible  cruelty  could  invent.  Young  and  old,  men  and 
women,  great  and  small,  ran  to  punishments  and  torments. 
Persons  of  a  very  delicate  frame  and  education,  who  had  never 
before  seen  a  naked  sword  without  turning  pale,  sprang  cheer- 
fully into  the  fire,  for  the  love  of  their  Jesus.  Neither  the 
severity  of  the  judges,  nor  the  barbarity  of  tyrants,  neither  the 
cries  of  the  people,  nor  the  horrors  of  the  executioners,  nor 
the  sword,  nor  the  hatchets,  nor  tortures,  nor  gibbets,  neither 
the  ready  wheels,  nor  the  lighted  fires,  could  make  them  give 
way.  Full  of  a  new  courage,  they  despise  all  this  bloody 
pomp  of  cruelty,  and,  as  if  they  were  fighting  in  insensible 
bodies,  suffered  with  a  contented  mind  barbarities  which  the 
executioners  themselves  could  not  inflict  upon  them  without 
pity.  They  were  heard  to  sing  in  the  flames,  and  to  bless  God 
in  the  torments.  A  heavenly  light  of  joy,  sweetness,  and  hu- 
mility might  be  perceived  shining  in  their  eyes  and  on  their 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  123 

countenances.  They  suffered  as  other  men  triumph,  and  en- 
dured the  most  dreadful  ignominy  in  the  same  manner  as  others 
enjoy  the  highest  honours.  To  this  blessed  company  we  must 
unite  those  who,  to  preserve  the  faith  and  the  religion  of  the 
Lord,  voluntarily  quitted,  with  a  similar  magnanimity,  their 
goods,  their  honours,  their  houses,  their  beloved  country,  their 
wives,  their  little  children,  and  all  those  other  things  which  are 
not  less  dear  to  us  than  life.  From  whence  could  so  great  a 
courage  spring?  or  strength  so  extraordinary,  in  persons  na- 
turally so  weak,  arise  ?  What  could  so  suddenly  have  trans- 
fused so  much  vigour  into  their  minds  and  bodies  ?  What 
could  thus  have  changed  their  constitutions,  miraculously 
taking  from  them  every  thing  that  was  low  and  earthly,  and 
clothing  them  with  an  invincible  firmness,  proof  against  every 
kind  of  attack?  Let  the  profane  say  what  they  will,  this 
strength,  in  so  good  a  cause,  could  come  to  them  from  heaven 
alone.  Most  undoubtedly  it  was  God  who  perfected  his 
strength  in  their  weakness  ;  who,  by  the  power  of  his  Spirit, 
sustained  the  weakness  of  their  flesh.  It  was  this  great  Com- 
forter who  inspired  them  with  these  heroic  dispositions,  who 
elevated  them  above  themselves,  and  who  poured  into  the 
hearts  of  men  the  thoughts,  the  courage,  and  the  knowledge 
of  angels.  Let  us  acknowledge  the  hand  of  God  in  the  patience 
of  his  servants,  and  let  us  say,  with  the  apostle,  that  it  is  he 
who  freely  gave  them  to  suffer  for  him.  But  besides  that,  Paul 
particularly  intends  to  signify  in  this  place,  that  even  that 
which  the  Philippians  had  been  called  to  suffer  for  the  name 
of  the  Lord  was  one  of  his  favours. 

From  hence  we  learn  two  things.  The  one,  that  the  perse- 
cution of  believers  is  not  a  fortuitous  event,  which  happens 
either  by  chance,  or  by  the  malice  of  men  or  devils  alone.  It 
is  God  who  guides  the  whole  affair  by  a  special  providence. 
He  sees  the  rage  of  the  enemies  of  his  people.  He  knows 
their  designs,  he  perceives  all  that  they  are  contriving  against 
the  gospel,  and  could  (if  such  were  his  good  pleasure)  dissipate 
both  their  plans  and  their  efforts  in  an  instant.  He  lets  them 
alone,  and  by  secret  arrangements  manages  their  violence 
against  every  one  of  his  servants,  as  his  supreme  wisdom  sees 
best.  He  himself  marks  the  field  where  the  combat  is  to  be 
decided.  He  orders  the  weapons  and  the  blows,  and  rules 
every  action.  He  calls  his  warrior,  and  himself  places  him  in 
front  of  the  enemy.  Christian,  do  not  stop  at  men,  and  at  the 
appearances  of  things.  Be  convinced  that  it  is  the  Lord  who 
arranges  all  your  trials.  You  will  enter  into  none  but  by  his 
permission.  But  the  apostle  also  shows  us,  in  the  second  place, 
that  this  employment  which  God  gives  us,  and  this  calling 
which  he  directs  us  to  suffer  for  him,  is  a  gift  of  his  grace.  I  well 
know  that  flesh  forms  quite  another  judgment,  and  that  of  all 


124  AN  EXPOSITION"   OF  [SERM.  VII. 

the  favours  of  God,  there  is  none  that  it  esteems  and  desires 
less  than  this.     It  takes  it  rather  for  an  effect  of  his  hatred 
than  of  his  love,  and  considers  it  an  unkindness  rather  than  a 
bounty.     Thus  in  war,  a  coward  does  not  think  that  it  is 
favouring  a  soldier  to  send  him  on  an  assault  or  to  a  conflict, 
or  to  give  him  some  other  commission  where  there  will  be 
blows  to  endure,  neither  would  he  think  himself  obliged  to  a 
friend,  who  would  choose  him  to  go  and  defend  his  quarrel  at 
the  peril  of  his  own  life.     But  these  are  only  the  thoughts  of 
low  and  pusillanimous  minds.     They  who  are  brave  and  noble 
judge  otherwise,  and  so  highly  value  this  sort  of  employment, 
that  they  are  vexed  if  it  be  given  to  others,  thinking  that  to 
leave  them  behind  on  such  occasions  is  to  despise  and  under- 
rate their  courage,  forasmuch  as  they  value  honour  more  than 
life.     They  deem  the  choice  made  of  their  persons  as  a  testi- 
mony of  the  high  opinion  entertained  of  their  valour  and 
fidelity,  and  consequently  consider  it  as  a  gratification.     It  is 
the  same,  dear  brethren,  in  the  government  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Lukewarm  minds,  which  have  not  tasted  aright  the  goodness 
and  excellence  of  this  sovereign  Lord,  and  who  have  but  a 
weak  desire  for  his  glory  and  for  his  service,  do  not  regard  it 
as  a  good  to  suffer  for  him.     But  his  true  disciples,  they  who 
have  seen  in  his  light  the  wonders  of  his  kingdom,  and  who 
have   been   strongly   animated   thereby,   they   who,  like   his 
apostles,  have  been  baptized  from  heaven,  and  whose  feelings 
have  been  sanctified  by  his  Spirit  from  on  high,  these,  my 
brethren,  think  there  is  nothing  on  earth  more  honourable  and 
more  glorious  than  to  suffer  for  the  Lord.     Such  were  those 
blessed  ones  whose  names  and  praise  Paul  has  registered  in 
his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  who  took  the  reproach  of  Christ 
for  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  of  the  world.     Such  were 
the  holy  apostles,  who,  having  been  ignominiously  scourged 
by  the  Jews  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  rejoiced  (says  the 
sacred  history)  to  be  "counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame  for  his 
name."     This  also  was  the  opinion  of  our  Paul,  who  took 
pleasure  in  infirmities,  in  injuries,  in  necessities,  in  persecu- 
tions, and  in  distress,  for  Christ;  who  rejoiced  in  his  greatest 
tribulations,  and  gloried  in  all  the  disgrace  which  he  suffered. 
for  him,  as  his  most  splendid  trophies.     Such  likewise  were 
the  feelings  of  that  noble  army  of  martyrs,  who  not  only 
bravely  and  cheerfully  endured  torments  and  death,  but  who 
could  also  loudly  praise  the  Lord  for  having  thus  called  them 
to  his  service.     Indeed,  if,  setting  aside  the  tenderness  of  the 
flesh,  you  will  consider  the  thing  itself,  what  can  be  esteemed 
more  honourable  than  suffering  for  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus?     This  Jesus  is  the  King  of  ages,  the  Prince  of  angels, 
the  Lord  of  glory.     His  gospel  is  the  highest  of  all  truth,  it  is 
the  salvation  of  the  world,  the  seed  of  life  and  immortality. 


CHAP.   I.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  125 

For  what  better  subject  then  could  we  suffer  ?  If  men  (as  we 
have  before  observed)  consider  it  a  high  privilege  to  be  chosen 
by  their  princes  to  fight  for  their  interests,  how  transcendently 
more  honoured  is  the  martyr  of  Jesus  Christ,  whom  this  Prince 
of  eternity  has  chosen  to  maintain  his  quarrel  !  whom  he  con- 
secrates with  his  heavenly  unction  to  enter  into  this  trial  !  to 
yield  a  public  testimony  to  his  truth!  to  be  the  advocate  of  his 
cause,  the  teacher  of  the  human  race,  the  spectacle  of  heaven 
and  of  earth  !  Angels  look  upon  and  bless  him  ;  they  accom- 
pany him  both  at  the  entrance  and  issue  of  the  combat  ;  they 
honour  his  steadfastness  with  their  applause,  and  conduct  and 
present  him  to  their  Lord  and  Master  to  receive  from  his  own 
hand  the  crown  of  glory  and  immortality.  Men  gaze  upon 
him  with  astonishment.  The  church  preserves  his  memory 
here  below  ;  and  his  very  enemies  are  constrained  to  praiso 
him.  But  besides  all  this,  he  has  moreover  this  obligation  to 
his  sufferings,  that  they  render  him  conformable  to  Jesus 
Christ,  and  cause  him  to  bear  the  image  of  the  Son  of  God, 
consecrated  as  you  know  by  his  passion,  and  elevated  into  the 
heavens  by  his  cross.  Let  cowardice  judge  as  it  will,  there  is 
no  act  in  the  world  more  pure,  more  noble,  or  more  glorious 
thaD  this.  And  the  blood  which  the  martyrs  shed,  or  the  lives 
that  they  lose  in  the  conflict,  must  be  lightly  esteemed  ;  this 
loss  is  too  insignificant  to  be  put  in  competition  with  the  ac- 
quirement of  so  much  glory  and  profit.  For  what  is  this  life, 
but  a  wretched  breath  that  we  may  lose  to-morrow  ?  Shall  I 
call  it  an  enjoyment,  or  a  suffering  of  a  few  years  ;  a  vapour, 
which  the  heat  of  a  fever,  or  of  some  other  malady,  will  con- 
sume ;  which  the  fraud  or  the  force  of  an  enemy,  or  of  any  one 
of  those  innumerable  accidents  in  the  midst  of  which  we  live, 
may  take  from  us  perhaps  in  a  few  months  or  days  ?  If  you 
could  keep  it  for  ever,  your  cowardice  would  have  some  more 
reason.  But  since  it  must  be  lost,  who  cannot  see  that  it  is  a 
great  folly  to  choose  rather  to  yield  it  to  the  infirmities  of  nature 
than  to  the  glory  of  Christ  ?  Again,  I  would  add,  that  to  employ  it 
in  his  cause  is  not  to  lose  it.  It  is  to  put  it  to  interest,  as  in  ex- 
change for  what  we  sacrifice  for  his  glory,  he  will  give  us 
another  infinitely  better,  celestial,  immortal,  and  full  of  all 
kinds  of  blessing  ;  whilst  that  which  we  live  here  below  is 
weak,  and  vile,  and  subject  to  all  sorts  of  evils.  Let  us  then, 
dear  brethren,  conclude  with  the  apostle,  that  it  is  a  gift  of  the 
grace  of  God  to  suffer  for  his  Son. 

From  which  appears  how  greatly  they  err  who  attribute 
merit  to  the  good  works  of  believers.  For  if  there  be  any 
which  can  pretend  to  be  such,  doubtless  it  must  be  martyr- 
dom, the  most  excellent  of  all:  and  after  all,  what  reason  can 
it  have  to  pretend  to  be  such,  when  it  is  a  gift  of  the  grace  of 
God  ?     Those  who  defend  this  error  acknowledge  that  faith 


126  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VII. 

merits  nothing.  Now  the  apostle  says  the  same  of  martyr- 
dom as  he  says  of  faith,  and  declares  that  it  has  been  freely 
given  us  to  suffer  for  Christ  as  well  as  to  believe  in  him.  It 
must  then  be  acknowledged  that  in  suffering  for  him  we  de- 
serve no  more  than  for  believing  in  him.  It  would  be  a  very 
ridiculous  absurdity  to  pretend,  that  for  having  received  a  fa- 
vour from  one's  prince,  we  should  therefore  deserve  to  have  a 
share  in  his  crown.  As  then  martyrdom  is  a  gift  and  a  grace 
of  God,  he  who  suffers  it  would  not  be  more  reasonable,  if  for 
having  been  so  honoured  by  the  Lord  he  were  to  boast  of  hav- 
ing merited  his  paradise.  Thus  you  see  in  the  Apocalypse, 
that  the  most  excellent  servants  of  God  throw  their  crowns  at 
the  feet  of  the  Lamb  ;  and  instead  of  demanding  a  recompence 
from  him  for  their  services,  they  give  him  thanks  for  them. 

But  it  is  time  to  finish  this  discourse,  of  which  there  only 
remains  one  point,  and  that,  presenting  no  difficulty,  can  be 
disposed  of  in  a  few  words.  It  is  what  the  apostle  particularly 
says  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Philippians  in  the  last  verse  : 
"  Having  the  same  conflict  that  you  have  seen  in  me,  and  now 
you  hear  to  be  in  me."  The  conflict  of  the  apostle  which  the 
Philippians  had  seen  was  the  persecution  he  endured  in  their 
city  when  he  was  taken  on  account  of  his  preaching,  and 
dragged  before  the  magistrates,  shamefully  scourged  through 
their  unjust  sentence,  and  then  put  in  irons  in  the  prison. 
The  Philippians  had  seen  him  in  this  trial.  As  to  the  one  in 
which  he  was  when  he  wrote  them  this  Epistle,  a  prisoner  at 
Rome  for  the  name  of  the  Lord,  they  had  not  seen  it  indeed, 
but  they  had  heard  of  it.  Saying,  then,  that  they  are  sustain- 
ing such  conflicts  as  his,  he  means,  that  they  also  are  perse- 
cuted by  their  magistrates  and  fellow  citizens  for  the  profession 
of  the  gospel.  In  this  conflict  the  believer  has  for  his  adver- 
saries the  devil,  the  world,  and  his  own  flesh.  Their  weapons 
are  the  promises,  and  the  threaten ings,  and  the  injuries,  and 
the  caresses,  and  the  prisons,  and  the  chains,  and  the  swords, 
with  all  that  impiety  and  superstition  employ  against  the 
church.  The  arms  of  the  believer  are  faith,  hope,  charity, 
patience,  humility,  constancy,  and  those  other  spiritual  graces 
by  which  he  resists  the  blows  of  the  enemy,  holding  fast  with- 
out ever  relaxing  in  the  profession  of  piety,  and  remaining, 
by  these  means,  victorious  to  the  end.  It  is  the  condition  of 
all  true  christians  to  be  subjected  to  this  conflict.  The  apos- 
tles of  the  Lord  entered  into  it  first.  Their  disciples,  (you 
see,)  and  the  churches  they  planted,  passed  through  it  also 
after  them.  None  is  admitted  into  the  school  of  Christ,  but 
on  condition  of  submitting  to  it.  "  Whoever  will  come  after 
me,"  says  Christ,  "let  him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his 
cross,  and  follow  me,"  Matth.  xvi.  24  ;  and  his  apostle  says, 
"Every  one  who  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  shall  suffer 
persecution,"  2  Tim.  iii.  12. 


CHAP.  I.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  127 

Assume,  then,  dearly  beloved  brethren,  this  good  and  noble 
resolution,  to  suffer  with  the  Lord,  that  you  may  one  day  live 
with  him,  noiv  taking  part  in  his  cross,  that  you  may  hereafter 
share  his  glory.  Give  him  thanks,  in  the  first  place,  that  you 
believe  in  him,  and  humbly  acknowledge,  with  the  apostle,  that 
it  is  a  gift  of  his  grace.  Value  this  favour  at  its  just  price, 
and  every  day  admire  its  wonders,  whether  in  considering  its 
value,  or  regarding  its  extent.  As  to  its  worth  it  is  the  great- 
est of  all  the  gifts  that  God  has  given  to  men,  as  it  includes  in 
itself  all  the  riches  of  his  Christ,  of  his  Spirit  and  of  his  hea- 
ven. This  faith  which  he  has  given  you  is  the  only  happiness 
of  man,  his  salvation,  his  life  and  his  glory;  it  is  the  only 
remedy  against  death  and  sin.  It  draws  you  from  hell,  and 
opens  to  you  an  entrance  into  heaven  ;  from  slaves  of  Satan  it 
makes  you  children  of  God.  Without  it  man  is  most  mise- 
rable, and  with  it  he  cannot  but  be  eternally  blessed.  You 
are  rich  enough,  since  God  has  given  you  such  a  precious 
jewel.  Do  not  then  envy  those  whose  bodies  he  fills  with  his 
provisions,  to  whom  he  gives,  as  formerly  to  Esau,  the  fatness 
of  the  earth  for  an  inheritance,  honours,  riches,  pleasure,  and 
the  other  good  things  of  this  world.  All  this  is  but  a  fashion 
which  passes  away,  (as  the  apostle  elsewhere  says,  1  Cor.  vii. 
3,)  a  form,  because  it  has  but  a  false  appearance  and  a  vain 
colouring  to  please  the  eye,  but  not  any  true  and  solid  sub- 
stantial good  to  satisfy  the  soul.  Witness  the  perpetual  dis- 
gust in  which  we  see  those  who  amuse  themselves  with  these 
things,  and  the  insatiable  ardour  of  their  lusts,  which  are 
never  satisfied.  But  the  worst  of  it  is  still  that  this  vain  sha- 
dow passes  away.  It  has  nothing  that  continues.  It  flies 
while  people  are  looking  at  it,  and  escapes  from  their  hands 
when  they  expect  to  take  hold  of  it,  leaving  them  full  of  an- 
guish and  despair:  death  at  last  destroys  both  them  and  their 
idol.  Do  not  grieve  that  he  has  not  given  you  such  wretched 
possession,  so  full  of  vanity  and  illusion.  The  gift  that  he 
has  made  you  in  leading  you  to  believe  in  his  Son  is  of  quite 
another  nature.  This  gift,  if  you  cherish  it,  and  rejoice  in  it 
as  you  ought,  will  fill  your  soul  with  consolation.  It  will 
cause  Jesus  Christ  to  inhabit  it  in  the  fulness  of  all  his  bless- 
ings. He  will  shed  abroad  his  Spirit.  He  will  extinguish  the 
fire  of  earthly  passions.  He  will  drive  from  it  fear  and  vexa- 
tion, lust  and  envy.  He  will  put  peace  into  the  conscience,  assu- 
rance of  the  love  of  God,  and  the  precious  hope  of  his  glory; 
and  when  you  leave  this  world,  will  conduct  you  into  his  sanc- 
tuary, to  possess  there,  for  ever,  his  kingdom,  and  his  eternity. 
But  what  also  extremely  increases  the  value  of  this  gift  that 
God  has  imparted  to  us  is,  that  it  is  neither  universal  nor  very 
common.  How  many  nations  are  there  in  the  universe  who 
have  never  heard  of  his  Christ  !  or  who  have  never  heard  his 


128  AN  EXPOSITION  OF  [SERM.  VII. 

gospel  but  corrupted  and  injured  by  superstition  !  and  of  those 
in  whose  ears  his  pure  word  has  been  preached,  how  many  are 
there  who  have  rejected  it  !  What  have  we  done  to  the  Lord 
which  has  induced  him  to  draw  us  from  the  number  of  these 
miserable  and  ungrateful  beings,  to  touch  our  hearts,  and  to 
open  them  to  the  voice  of  his  Son,  by  leading  us  to  believe  in 
him  ?  What,  then,  will  be  our  insensibility,  if  having  received 
from  him  so  signal  a  favour,  we  do  not  render  to  him  a  special 
gratitude;  living  in  the  light  of  the  faith  with  which  he  has 
favoured  us,  holily,  righteously,  soberly,  and  godlily;  flying, 
as  from  a  deadly  pestilence,  from  all  that  can  displease  so  good 
and  so  merciful  a  Lord,  and  seeking,  with  continual  care  and 
ardent  zeal,  all  that  may  be  pleasing  to  him  !  This  will  be  the 
true  means,  dear  brethren,  of  preparing  us  to  suffer  nobly  for 
his  glory,  if  he  should  ever  vouchsafe  to  us  such  an  honour. 
For  if  we  serve  him  faithfully,  let  us  not  doubt  but  that,  on 
such  an  occasion,  he  will  give  us  the  necessary  strength  to 
acquit  ourselves  worthily  in  so  great  and  so  illustrious  a  duty. 
But  in  whatever  way  he  shall  be  pleased  to  dispose  of  us,  may 
it  be  to  the  glory  of  his  name,  to  the  edification  of  men,  and 
to  our  own  salvation.  And  to  him,  the  only  true  God,  blessed 
over  all  things,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit,  be  honour  and 
praise  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  15th  July,  1640. 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  129 


SERMON  VIII. 

CHAPTER  II. 

VERSES   1 — 4. 

If  there  he  therefore  any  consolation  in  Christ,  if  any  comfort  of 
love,  if  any  felloiuship  of  the  Spirit,  if  any  bowels  and  mer- 
cies, fulfil  ye  my  joy,  that  ye  be  like-minded,  having  the  same 
love,  being  of  one  accord,  of  one  mind.  Let  nothing  be  done 
through  strife  or  vain- glory  ;  but  in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each 
esteem  other  better  than  themselves.  Look  not  every  man  on  his 
own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  the  things  of  others. 

Among  all  the  religions  which  have  sprung  up  in  the  world, 
none  has  ever  been  found  to  have  a  higher  design  than  the 
christian  religion.  For  it  aspires  at  nothing  less  than  to 
change  men  into  angels,  and  to  form  here  on  earth  living 
images  of  those  blessed  societies  which  dwell  in  the  heavens. 
It  drives  away  error,  vice,  hatred,  and  discord  from  amongst 
those  who  obey  it.  It  takes  from  them  meanness,  lewdness, 
and  malignity,  with  which  sin  has  filled  the  earth.  It  sheds 
there  light,  love,  union,  and  the  eternity  of  heaven;  and  puri- 
fying the  mind,  the  heart,  and  the  affections  of  every  believer, 
binds  them  together,  and  makes  them  one  body,  a  divine  bro- 
therhood, and  a  celestial  city.  Such  was  this  holy  church, 
conceived  and  produced  by  the  first  rays  of  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  that  Jerusalem  formerly  saw,  with  astonishment, 
arise  and  grow  in  a  single  day  ;  full  of  such  perfect  love  and 
piety,  that  the  sacred  history  tells  us  that  all  the  multitude 
of  those  of  which  it  was  composed  had  but  one  heart  and  one 
soul,  Acts  iv.  32.  Such,  also,  were  other  churches  propagated 
from  this  one  in  the  lands  of  the  Gentiles.  Truth  and  holiness 
flourished  there,  and  love  reigned  among  them;  and  if  there 
were  found  in  the  profession  of  Christianity  either  persons,  or 
entire  societies,  otherwise  disposed,  they  were  imperfect,  irre- 
gular, and  monstrous  productions,  not  conformed  to  the  true 
and  natural  design  of  the  gospel.  You  see  it  clearly  by  the 
preaching  of  the  holy  apostles,  the  first  ministers  of  this  celes- 
tial instruction,  who  laboured  every  where  to  strip  men  of  all 
17 


130  AN   EXPOSITION   OP  [SERM.   VIII. 

forms  and  habits  of  sin,  only  to  render  them  participators  of 
the  divine  nature  in  righteousness  and  holiness.  Paul,  who 
so  often  speaks  to  you  from  this  place,  preaches  nothing  else. 
It  is  the  subject  and  the  object  of  all  that  he  has  left  us  in  his 
Epistles.  You  have  heard  before,  in  the  first  chapter,  with 
what  care  he  presses  the  Philippians  to  live  in  a  way  worthy 
of  the  gospel.  You  will  hear  him  again  in  this  and  the  fol- 
lowing chapter  treating  the  same  matter  with  the  same  warmth. 
He  conjures  them  here,  at  the  beginning,  by  the  most  effica- 
cious motives  he  could  urge,  to  live  in  perfect  union,  love,  and 
humility.  For  this  purpose  he  sets  before  them  in  a  very 
striking  manner  the  example  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  goes  on  to 
promise  them  a  visit  from  Timothy  and  from  himself,  that  the 
expectation  of  these  two  great  teachers  "might  animate  them  in 
well-doing.  But  for  the  present,  we  will  only  examine  the 
first  part  contained  in  the  four  verses  we  have  read  ;  and  to 
give  you  a  clearer  exposition  of  them,  we  will  consider,  by  the 
gracious  asssistance  of  the  Lord,  three  points  distinctly  and 
consecutively.  The  first  is  the  adjuration  which  the  apostle 
makes  to  the  Philippians  in  these  terms  :  "If  there  be  there- 
fore any  consolation  in  Christ,  if  any  comfort  of  love,  if  any 
fellowship  of  the  Spirit,  if  any  bowels  and  mercies,  fulfil  ye 
my  joy."  The  second  is  the  exhortation  which  he  adds  to  con- 
cord and  union;  for  it  is  in  that  that  the  fulfilment  of  his  joy, 
which  be  so  affectionately  asks  of  them,  consists  :  "  That  ye  be 
like-minded,  having  the  same  love,  being  of  one  accord,  of  one 
mind."  The  third  point  is  the  recommendation  he  makes  them, 
in  the  two  following  verses,  to  humility  and  brotherly  affec- 
tion, the  two  nursing-mothers  of  concord:  "Let  nothing  be 
done  through  strife  or  vain-glory  ;  but  in  lowliness  of  mind 
let  each  esteem  other  better  than  themselves.  Look  not  every 
man  on  his  own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  the  things  of 
others." 

I.  As  to  the  first  point,  the  apostle  has  expressed  it  with  so 
much  ardour  and  emphasis,  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  find 
in  any  other  place  in  his  Epistles  anything  more  pathetic  and 
affectionate  than  this  ;  for  he  places  before  them  all  that  is 
sweetest,  most  tender,  and  forcible  to  obtain  from  them  what 
he  wishes.  Being  the  apostle  of  the  Lord,  the  master,  and,  as 
it  were,  the  father  of  the  Philippians,  having  begotten  their 
whole  church  through  the  gospel,  he  had  the  right  and  author- 
ity to  command  them.  Notwithstanding  which,  he  does  not 
use  it.  He  strips  himself  of  all  the  dignity  of  his  office.  He 
humbles  himself  to  the  extreme  condescension  of  supplicating 
those  who  oiue  him  obedience.  He  throws  himself  as  it  were 
at  their  feet  ;  and,  as  if  he  asked  them  not  a  duty,  but  an  alms, 
implores  their  compassion,  and  the  bowels  of  their  pity,  en- 
treating them  in  a  manner  so  sweet  and  humble,  that  the  poor- 


CHAP.  II.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  131 

est  beggar  could  not  say  more  in  his  greatest  need  :  "  If  there 
be  any  consolation  in  Christ,  if  any  comfort  of  love,  if  any  fel- 
lowship of  the  Spirit,  if  any  bowels  and  mercies,  fulfil  ye  my 
joy."  It  was  love  and  affection,  my  brethren,  that  constrained 
this  holy  being  to  these  terms;  for  you  will  see  afterwards  that 
in  reality  he  asked  nothing  from  the  Philippians  but  that  they 
should  be  perfect  and  happy,  an  evident  sign  that  their  good 
was  his  most  ardent  desire,  his  satisfaction,  and  his  fervent  joy  ; 
which  could  only  proceed  from  a  very  great  and  most  cordial 
affection.  He  acts  like  a  good  father,  the  power  of  whose  nat- 
ural affection  obliges  him  to  supplicate  his  children  with  tears, 
and  to  conjure  them  by  everything  that  he  imagines  to  have 
most  power  over  their  minds.  If  you  have  (he  says  to  them) 
any  respect  for  him  who  has  brought  you  into  the  world  ;  if 
you  have  any  remembrance  of  the  care  that  I  have  taken  to 
feed  and  educate  you  ;  if  my  blood,  and  my  affection,  and  the 
desire  that  I  have  for  your  good  and  honour,  be  any  consider- 
ation to  you  ;  love  one  another,  I  beseech  you,  my  dear  chil- 
dren, and  live  together  in  tender  friendship  and  concord. 
This  is  exactly  the  image  the  apostle  here  uses,  except  that  in- 
stead of  nature  and  the  flesh,  he  derives  the  arguments  of  his 
prayer  from  grace  and  from  the  Spirit  ;  and  instead  of  his  ser- 
vices, represents  to  them  his  wants,  willing  to  owe  what  he  re- 
quested of  them  to  their  pity  rather  than  to  his  merit.  He 
touches  upon  four  principal  motives  which  obliged  them  to 
grant  him  his  request  :  of  which  the  first  was  christian  conso- 
lation ;  the  second,  the  comfort  of  love  ;  the  third,  the  commu- 
nion of  the  Spirit  ;  the  fourth,  compassion  and  mercy.  I  con- 
nect all  the  four  with  what  he  had  said  at  the  beginning, 
"in  Christ:"  "If  there  be  any  consolation  in  Christ."  For  he 
signifies,  in  my  opinion,  by  this  word,  the  fellowship  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  the  grace  we  have  through  being  in  him  by 
the  faith  of  his  gospel.  He  means  Jesus  Christ  as  he  is  preached 
by  his  ministers,  and  believed  on  by  the  faithful.  If  there  be 
then  auy  consolation  in  this  Christ,  whom  I  have  announced 
to  you,  whom  ye  have  received,  and  who  dwells  in  your  hearts 
by  faith  ;  if  there  be  in  him  any  comfort  of  love,  any  fellowship 
of  the  Spirit,  any  tenderness  of  mercy  ;  if  this  divine  Lord  has 
impressed  truly  on  those  who  obey  him  some  feeling  of  these 
things;  if  his  discipline  and  fellowship  have  formed  our  minds 
to  such  a  state  as  exists  among  those  who  are  in  him,  a  mutual 
interchange  of  consolation,  of  love,  of  soul,  and  of  compassion  : 
I  beseech  you  all  now  to  exercise  these  sacred  duties  towards 
me. 

The  first  of  these  four  things  which  is  found  in  Jesus  Christ 
is  "  consolation."  It  is  the  duty  that  we  ought  to  perform  to- 
wards those  who  are  in  affliction,  both  by  words  and  deeds, 
doing  for  them  and  saying  to  them,  in  the  best  way  that  we 


132  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   VIII. 

can,  whatever  we  judge  capable  of  diminishing  their  weariness 
and  of  re-establishing  spiritual  joy  in  their  hearts.  The  com- 
fort of  love,  which  he  adds  in  the  second  place,  is  nearly  the 
same  thing  ;  it  is  as  if  he  had  said  that  love  obliged  us  to  con- 
tribute to  the  comfort  of  our  brethren  the  same  help  and  at- 
tention as  we  owe  to  those  we  love.  The  fellowship  of  the 
Spirit,  of  which  he  speaks  in  the  third  place,  is  the  spiritual 
union  which  exists  among  believers,  not  earthly,  nor  indeed 
carnal,  but  real  and  solid,  founded  upon  this  consideration,  that 
they  are  all  children  of  the  same  Father,  formed,  quickened, 
and  guided  by  one  Spirit,  so  that  they  have  in  this  respect  a 
very  close  connection  ;  and  if  they  are  different  and  separated 
according  to  the  flesh,  they  are  notwithstanding  joined  and 
united  according  to  the  Spirit.  The  cordial  affections  and 
mercies  that  he  instances,  in  the  last  place,  are  the  feelings  of 
pity  that  we  have  for  those  who  suffer  ;  these  he  calls  "  bowels," 
(for  the  word  that  we  have  translated  "  cordial  affections"  pro- 
perly signifies  the  entrails,  after  the  manner  of  the  Hebrews, 
whose  style  he  follows,)  for  that  of  which  the  heart  is  the  seat. 
The  remainder  of  what  he  says,  "  if  there  be  any  of  these 
things  in  Christ,"  is  not  to  cast  any  doubt  upon  it,  as  if  the 
Lord  did  not  certainly  produce  all  these  effects  in  all  those  to 
whom  he  makes  himself  known  by  his  word,  and  by  his  Spirit, 
or  as  if  the  apostle  were  not  assured  of  it  ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
he  means  that  this  is  very  certain,  and  that  it  is  not  possible 
to  belong  to  the  Lord,  without  having  received  from  him  these 
impressions.  The  word  "  if"  is  affirmative  in  this  place,  as  it 
often  is  elsewhere,  and  takes  what  follows  for  granted,  as  true 
and  undoubted,  as  when  we  say,  "  If  you  be  children,  honour 
then  your  father  ;"  which  is  the  same  as  if  we  were  to  say, 
Since  you  are  children,  honour  then  your  father  ;  it  being  evi- 
dent that  without  so  doing  you  render  yourselves  unworthy  of 
that  name.  Here  it  is  the  same,  when  the  apostle  says,  "  If 
there  be  any  consolation,  and  any  love  in  Christ  ;"  it  is  the 
same  as  if  he  said,  "  Since  Jesus  Christ  gives  all  these  disposi- 
tions to  those  who  are  in  him,  show  indeed  that  you  are  in  him 
by  fulfilling  my  joy."  For  the  Lord  Jesus  recommends  no- 
thing so  much  in  his  word  as  love  towards  our  brethren.  He 
desires  that  we  should  be  interested  in  all  their  blessings  and 
afflictions  ;  that  we  should  feel  their  sorrows  as  our  own  ;  that 
we  should  grudge  nothing,  not  even  our  blood  and  our  life,  for 
their  consolation  and  edification.  And  the  better  to  impress 
this  lesson  on  our  hearts,  he  is  not  contented  with  giving  it  to 
us  in  his  word,  he  has  confirmed  it  to  us  by  his  example,  hav- 
ing laid  down  his  life  for  us.  Certainly  then  it  is  impossible 
that  we  can  be  in  him,  that  is  to  say,  that  by  faith  we  should 
embrace  his  gospel,  without  receiving  into  our  hearts  the 
movements  of  this  divine  affection  ;  and  those  who,  without 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  133 

having  them,  boast  of  his  name,  are  liars.  I  say  the  same  of 
the  fellowship  of  the  Spirit.  For  the  Lord  has  but  one  and 
the  same  Spirit,  with  which  he  baptizes  all  those  who  are  his  ; 
and  "  if  any  one  have  not  his  Spirit,  he  is  none  of  Christ's,"  as 
the  apostle  elsewhere  says  :  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  be  in 
him  without  having  this  union  in  Spirit  with  believers. 
Judge  by  this,  dearly  beloved  brethren,  what  opinion  we  must 
have  of  those  barbarous  and  unnatural  souls  who  have  no  af- 
fection for  believers,  who  look  upon  their  sufferings  without 
emotion,  who  neither  deign  to  console  their  troubles,  to  soften 
their  sorrows,  to  sympathize  in  their  grief,  nor  to  employ  any 
spiritual  commerce  with  them.  How  are  they  in  Jesus  Christ, 
since  they  have  none  of  those  things  which  he  produces  in  all 
such  as  belong  to  him?  Surely  if  this  divine  Lord  truly 
dwelt  in  our  hearts,  he  would  by  his  power  melt  the  hardness 
of  our  bowels,  he  would  open  in  them  an  active  source  of  con- 
solation for  the  afflicted,  he  would  there  establish  an  ardent 
love  for  his  children,  he  would  shed  there  that  Spirit  which  he 
has  given  them,  the  Spirit  of  union,  love,  and  compassion. 
Bat  these  Philippians  who  are  here  spoken  of  were  not  de- 
scribed in  this  way.  Their  profession  was  true,  and  it  appears 
by  what  we  have  heard  that  they  were  christians  indeed,  and 
not  in  name  only.  This  is  the  reason  why  the  apostle  appeals 
to  them  by  the  things  of  which  they  had  a  real  and  lively  feel- 
ing. If  Jesus  Christ,  (says  he,)  our  good  Master,  for  whom 
you  and  I  suffer,  has  put  into  you  some  consolation  for  the  af- 
flicted ;  if  the  love  with  which  he  has  filled  your  hearts  constrains 
you  to  dispense  some  comfort  to  those  who  need  it  ;  if  this 
same  Spirit  which  he  has  given  us  ought  to  bind  us  in  a  holy 
and  spiritual  union  ;  and  finally,  if  his  grace  has  rendered  your 
bowels  tender  and  sensible  to  the  interests  of  believers  ;  I  con- 
jure you  by  all  these  sacred  ties,  fulfil  ye  my  joy. 

He  draws  this  conclusion  very  reasonably  from  what  he  had 
proposed  to  them  in  the  preceding  chapter,  with  which  he 
unites  this  by  the  word  "therefore:"  "If  there  be  therefore 
any  consolation  in  Christ."  For  it  is  to  those  who  are  afflicted 
that  the  consolation  belongs.  Here  let  us  bear  in  mind  how 
he  said  to  them  before  he  was  in  prison  at  Rome,  persecuted 
by  pagans  without,  and  by  false  brethren  within,  that  love 
ought  to  comfort  those  who  are  overwhelmed  either  by  trouble 
or  necessity.  Now  he  had  represented  to  them  the  sad  state 
to  which  he  was  reduced.  It  is  principally  towards  those  who 
teach  the  gospel,  or  who  suffer  for  preaching  it,  that  we  ought 
to  exercise  the  fellowship  of  the  Spirit,  or  the  duties  of  pity. 
He  had  just  shown  them  that  this  was  the  cause  of  his  chain. 
After  having  set  before  them  these  things  in  the  former  chap- 
ter, it  is  with  good  reason  therefore  that  he  here  urges  them 
by  the  love,  the  Spirit,  the  affection,  and  the  mercies  of  the 


134  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   VIII. 

Lord  to  fulfil  bis  joy.  And  the  Philippians  must  have  been 
harder  than  stones,  if  they  bad  not  felt  touched  by  so  warm 
and  reasonable  an  entreaty. 

II.  But  he  does  not  tell  them  that  they  will  be  the  cause  of 
his  joy.  He  only  asks  that  they  would  fulfil  that  which  he 
had  already.  For  however  sad  and  lamentable  the  state  of  the 
apostle  might  be  according  to  the  flesh,  he  had  nevertheless 
joy  in  his  heart.  Neither  the  darkness  of  the  prison,  nor  its 
impassable  barriers,  nor  the  vigilance  of  the  guards,  can  pre- 
vent joy  from  entering  into  the  souls  of  believers.  Neither 
the  weight  of  their  irons,  nor  the  obscurity  of  their  dungeons, 
nor  the  sorrows  of  captivity,  are  capable  of  taking  it  from 
them.  In  the  first  place,  the  Lord  Jesus,  for  whom  the  apostle 
suffered,  was  night  and  day  with  him,  and  shed  the  peace  of 
the  Father,  the  consolations  of  the  Spirit,  the  assurance  of  his 
grace,  and  the  hope  of  his  glory,  as  a  heavenly  balm  in  the 
soul  of  his  servant.  He  there  sustained  that  inextinguishable 
and  glorious  joy  which  these  feelings  necessarily  produce  in 
our  hearts  ;  since  even  the  success  of  his  sufferings,  which  had 
given  courage  to  many  to  proclaim  the  gospel,  refreshed  him 
extremely,  "  I  rejoice,  (says  he,)  and  will  rejoice."  But  besides 
that,  (and  it  is  what  he  particularly  regards  in  this  place,)  the 
fine  beginning  of  the  Philippians,  their  love,  their  patience, 
and  their  other  graces,  had  also  afforded  him  much  satisfaction. 
It  is  this  joy  that  he  conjures  them  to  fulfil,  to  add  what  was 
wanting  to  it,  and  to  render  it  full  and  complete.  What 
then  was  it,  O  holy  apostle,  that  was  wanting  to  thy  joy  ? 
What  dost  thou  wish  the  Philippians  to  do  to  fulfil  it  ? 
Dost  thou  desire  that  they  should  endeavour  to  deliver  thee 
from  the  prisons  of  Nero,  and  to  procure  thee  that  liberty 
of  which  thou  art  deprived  ?  or  that,  to  alleviate  thy  wants, 
they  should  redouble  their  liberality,  and  send  thee  another 
Epaphroditus  with  the  gifts  of  their  love  ?  No,  says  he,  this 
is  not  what  I  ask.  My  chain  does  not  weigh  so  heavily 
upon  me  that  it  diminishes  my  comfort,  and  I  wait  in 
peace  for  my  deliverance  by  the  providence  of  my  God,  with- 
out harassing  my  mind  ;  and  as  to  the  discomforts  of  the 
prison,  I  well  know  how  to  find  content  and  abundance  even 
in  indigence  itself;  I  have  been  so  filled  with  what  I  have  al- 
ready received  from  these  believers,  that  I  have  no  more  to 
wish  from  them.  What  I  ask  from  them  with  so  much  warmth, 
as  the  only  thing  capable  of  rendering  my  joy  perfect,  is,  that 
"  they  should  be  like-minded,  having  the  same  l'ove,  being  of 
one  accord,  of  one  mind."  It  is  this,  0  dearly  beloved  Philip- 
pians, that  I  desire  of  you  ;  it  is  the  only  office  that  you  still 
owe  to  the  consolation  of  your  master.  If  you  fulfil  this  my 
desire,  I  freely  acquit  you  of  all  the  duties  that  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  the  love  that  he  has  given  you,  and  the 


CHAP.  IL]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  135 

Spirit  that  lie  has  imparted  to  you,  and  the  compassions  which 
he  has  impressed  on  your  bowels,  oblige  you  to  render  me 
in  my  bonds.  This,  dear  brethren,  is  the  meaning  and  the  de- 
sign of  the  words  of  Paul. 

From  which  we  have  first  to  learn,  that  the  good  and  the 
prosperity  of  the  church  ought  to  be  the  chief  subject  of  our 
consolation  and  of  our  desires  ;  according  to  the  declaration  for- 
merly made  by  the  psalmist,  "  that  he  preferred  Jerusalem 
above  his  chief  joy,"  Psal.  cxxxvii.  6.  This  apostle  was  in  the 
fetters  of  the  most  horrible  tyrant  that  ever  lived,  pursued  by 
both  Jews  and  pagans  with  the  most  furious  animosity,  and 
every  day  on  the  point  of  being  exposed  to  the  lions,  or  to 
suffer  some  other  cruel  punishment.  Nevertheless,  all  this  will 
not  prevent  his  rejoicing  in  perfect  joy,  if  he  may  see  the 
church  of  Philippi  in  a  good  condition.  Their  good  is  alone 
capable  of  curing  all  his  sorrows,  of  softening  all  his  griefs, 
and  of  appeasing  all  his  own  sufferings.  0  admirable  love, 
which  had  so  changed  the  apostle  into  those  that  he  loved,  that 
it  was  their  interest,  and  not  his  own,  from  whence  sprang  his 
sorrows  and  his  joys  !  Why  have  not  we  a  similar  love  for  the 
church  of  the  Lord  ?  and  especially  for  those  with  whom  we 
here  live  in  fellowship  ?  Why  do  we  not  make  their  good  or 
their  evil  the  only,  or  at  least  the  principal,  subject  of  our 
consolation,  or  of  our  sorrows  ?  Certainly,  besides  the  exam- 
ple of  the  apostle,  which  ought  to  be  a  law  to  us,  the  reason 
and  nature  of  the  thing  itself  evidently  oblige  us  to  it.  For 
the  church  is  the  body  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  formed  of  his 
flesh  and  of  his  blood,  and  quickened  by  his  Spirit;  it  is  the 
mirror  of  his  glory,  the  pillar  of  his  truth,  and  the  most  illus- 
trious instrument  of  his  goodness  and  wisdom.  It  is  the 
family  of  God,  and  the  school  of  his  children  ;  the  depository 
of  our  most  precious  jewel,  of  the  gospel,  and  of  salvation  ; 
so  that  we  cannot  help  loving  it  ardently,  if  we  have  ever  so 
little  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God,  or  affection,  whether  for  the 
edification  of  others,  or  for  our  own  happiness. 

But  let  us  also  learn  from  this,  in  the  second  place,  in  what 
this  happiness  of  the  church  consists,  which  ought  to  form  and 
to  fulfil  our  joy.  It  is  not  that  it  should  enjoy  a  profound 
peace  in  the  world,  that  it  should  abound  in  the  honours  and 
riches  of  the  world,  that  the  great  should  caress  it,  that  kings 
should  favour  it,  or  that  people  should  applaud  it.  This 
worldly  prosperity  is  often  its  greatest  misfortune,  and  it  is 
usually  in  these  false  calms  that  it  is  injured.  Neither  is  it  that 
cunning,  or  knowledge,  or  eloquence,  or  secular  erudition 
should  flourish  in  it.  This  vain  pomp  is  the  share  of  the 
world.  But  the  true  happiness  and  the  true  prosperity  of  the 
christian  church  consist  in  what  the  apostle  here  asks  of  the 
Philippians,  that  concord  should  reign  in  it  ;  that  a  common 


136  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VIII. 

love  and  one  faith,  should  bind  the  members  to  one  another,  and, 
mingling  them  together,  should  reduce  them  to  one  and  the 
same  body.     "Whatever  besides  may  be  the  condition  of  our 
church,  she  is  truly  happy  and  in  prosperity,  if  she  live  in  this 
union,  and  retain  the  form  of  that  Jerusalem  which  the  pro- 
phet describes  to  us,  built  "  as  a  city  that  is  compact  together," 
Psal.  cxxii.  3.     On  the  contrary,  if  divisions  creep  in,  however 
cheering  may  be  the  prosperity  and  abundance  which  she  en- 
joys without,  nevertheless  she  is  in  a  very  sad  condition.     It 
is  a  city  in  which  an  enemy  has  made  a  breach,  and  it  is  near 
its  ruin  if  the  Lord  do  not  marvellously  assist  it.    This  is  why 
Paul  here  desires  the  concord  and  union  of  the  Philippians 
with  so  much  zeal.     And  although  in  this  Epistle  he  every 
where  gives  them  an  excellent  testimony  to  their  piety,  to  the 
strength  of  their  faith,  and  the  ardour  of  their  love,  neverthe- 
less, the  great  earnestness  with  which  he  recommends  union 
seems  to  show  that  there  was  something  to  say  to  them  in  this 
respect  ;    and  his  conjuring  them   to  fulfil   his  joy  by  their 
agreement  signifies  that  he  saw  some  dissension  among  them, 
or,  at  least,  that  he  perceived  the  seeds  of  it  ;  for  you  know 
that  the  devil  never  fails  to  throw  this  bad  seed  among  chris- 
tians, having  learned,  by  experience,  that  there  is  nothing  more 
suitable  for  his  designs.     In  truth,  we  shall  hear  afterwards 
that  the  false  teachers  among  the  Jews,  who  so  sadly  troubled 
the  first  christians  with  their  pretended  mixture  of  Moses  and 
Jesus  Christ,  had  also  an  eye  upon  this  church  of  the  Philip- 
pians; and  what  the  apostle  still  presses  upon  these  believers 
in  the  following  chapter,  "to  have  always  the  same  mind,  and 
to  walk  by  one  rule,  to  which  they  had  already  attained," 
chap.   iii.    16  ;    and  particularly  beseeches  some  persons,  as 
Euodias  and  Syntyche,  to  yield  themselves  to  this  uniformity 
of  sentiment,  and  entreating  his  own  companion  and  Clement 
to  help  them  ;  all  this,  I  say,  plainly  shows  (as  appears  to  me) 
that  some  difference  and  division  in  doctrine  began  to  manifest 
itself  among  this  flock.     From  whence  it  arises  that  he  recom- 
mends concord  to  them  in  such  an  affectionate  manner,  and 
that  he  expresses  himself  upon  it  in  so  many  precise  terms, 
that  he  links  one  sentence  with  the  other,  although  in  reality 
they  all  nearly  signify  the  same  thing.     In  the  first  place,  he 
asks  of  them  that  "  they  should  have  one  mind."     On  which 
some  (Beza)  have  in  my  opinion  well  remarked,  that  the  apos- 
tle does  not  simply  mean  by  this  that  they  should  have  one 
opinion  and  belief  on  points  of  religion  ;   which  is  precisely 
what  the  word  "mind"  signifies  in  our  language;   but  that 
they  should  in  general  have  the  same  disposition  of  mind,  the 
same  feelings,  the  same  designs,  and  the  same  desires;  that 
their  souls,  in  all  their  faculties,  should  have  the  same  form 
and  figure,  whether  in  the  understanding,  which  is  their  high- 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  137 

est  and  chiefest  part,  or  in  the  will  and  affections,  which  de- 
pend on  it.  Thus  the  apostle  uses  this  word  in  a  similar  pas- 
sage in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  where  he  orders  believers 
to  "be  of  the  same  mind  one  towards  another;"  and  in  the 
verse  which  immediately  follows  our  text,  "  Let  the  same  mind 
be  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus." 

But  after  having  thus  in  general  commanded  the  Philippians 
to  have  each  the  same  disposition  of  mind,  he  descends  to  par- 
ticulars, and  touches  especially  some  one  of  these  or  similar 
forms,  which  he  wishes  that  they  should  possess  :  adding,  in 
the  second  place,  "  having  the  same  love."  Some  (Chrysostom) 
make  this  relate  to  the  degrees  of  brotherly  love  which  ought 
to  be  in  us;  as  if  the  apostle  meant  that  we  should  have  for 
our  brethren  the  same  love  that  they  have  for  us,  and  bear  to- 
wards them  an  affection  equal  to  that  which  they  feel  towards 
us,  loving  as  much  as  we  are  loved,  that  we  may  not  fall  into 
the  crime  of  those  who,  with  great  injustice,  for  a  high  degree 
of  love,  return  but  a  very  moderate  portion.  But  although 
this  idea  should  not  be  rejected,  it  seems  to  be  more  simple 
and  natural  to  take  what  the  apostle  says,  in  regard  to  the  ob- 
ject of  love,  to  mean  that  we  ought  all  to  love  the  same  thing. 
For  those  have  not  the  same  love  or  affection  of  whom  one 
loves  one  thing,  and  one  another;  of  whom  this  man  for  ex- 
ample loves  honour  and  ambition,  and  that  voluptuousness 
and  pleasure;  one  hunting,  and  another  learning.  These  are 
affections  and  passions  differing  according  to  the  diversity  of 
their  objects  ;  but  love  is  the  same,  when  many  love  the  same 
object;  as  when  many  subjects  love  the  same  prince,  or  many 
children  the  same  father.  This,  then,  is  what  the  apostle  here 
asks  of  the  Philippians,  that  they  should  have  the  same  love, 
that  their  affections  should  not  be  divided  among  many  con- 
trary or  different  things,  like  those  of  the  Corinthians,  of 
whom  some  loved  Paul,  others  Cephas,  and  others  Apollos; 
some  admiring  one  form  of  doctrine,  others  a  different  one; 
but  that  their  hearts  should  all  meet  on  the  same  object,  as  in 
a  common  centre,  all  loving  the  same  Christ  and  the  same 
church. 

Then  he  requires  of  them,  in  the  third  place,  "that  we 
should  all  be  of  one  accord."  In  the  original  it  is,  "  that  we 
should  have  altogether  the  same  soul,"  oi^vxoç.  The  same,  not 
in  its  essence  or  in  its  nature,  (for  that  is  impossible,)  but  in 
its  affections  and  in  its  designs,  in  its  wishes  and  in  its  desires  ; 
that  we  should  all  look  to  the  same  object,  and  should  propose 
to  ourselves  the  same  end,  the  glory  of  God  our  Lord,  and  the 
furtherance  of  the  kingdom  of  his  Son  ;  that  we  should  have 
the  same  zeal,  that  we  should  desire  the  same  things  ;  and,  in 
a  word,  that  the  acts,  transports,  and  emotions  of  our  minds 
should  have  a  perfect  conformity,  as  if  there  were  in  us  but 
18 


138  AN  EXPOSITION  OF  [SERM.  VIII. 

one  and  the  same  principle  of  life,  one  only  soul  which  anima- 
ted and  quickened  us  altogether. 

Finally,  the  apostle  adds,  as  the  last  part  of  christian 
concord,  "  that  we  should  be  of  one  mind."  Word  for  word 
in  the  original  it  is,  "that  we  should  feel  the  same  thing." 
But  all  comes  to  one:  it  not  being  possible,  if  what  we  feel  is 
but  one  thing,  that  we  should  not  also  be  the  same  thing. 
From  the  unity  of  the  will,  he  passes  on  to  the  conformity  of 
the  affections  and  sentiments.  He  desires  that  as  there  is  but 
one  and  the  same  chief,  that  is  to  say,  Jesus  Christ,  and  but 
one  and  the  same  baptism,  there  should  only  be  in  the  church 
one  and  the  same  faith.  And  this  agreement  in  one  and  the 
same  doctrine  is  the  foundation  of  the  concord  and  communion 
of  christians.  For  the  understanding  being  the  guide  of  our 
souls,  it  is  difficult  for  those  whose  sentiments  are  opposed  not  to 
have  different  affections  ;  and  from  a  difference  of  opinions  it  is 
easy  to  fall  into  a  difference  of  love,  or  contempt  or  hatred  for 
one  another.  Assuredly  it  is  much  to  be  wished  that  there 
were  no  difference  or  variety  among  believers  in  this  respect. 
But  because  of  the  infirmity  in  which  we  live  in  this  mortal 
flesh,  this  blessing  is  more  to  be  wished  than  hoped  for;  we 
must  restrain  the  necessity  for  the  union  of  our  sentiments  to 
those  points  which  are  essential,  and  without  the  belief  of 
which  there  can  be  no  salvation.  With  respect  to  them,  all 
believers  ought  to  feel  the  same  thing.  None  can  here  differ 
without  a  break.  But  as  to  other  matters,  which  are  not  of 
this  importance,  we  ought  there  to  bear  with  a  difference, 
should  there  be  any,  after  the  example  of  the  apostle,  whov 
though  he  afterwards  obliges  all  believers  to  walk  by  the  same 
rule  to  which  they  had  attained,  nevertheless  defends  those 
who,  in  some  degree,  felt  otherwise  than  he  and  the  more  per- 
fect believers  did,  hoping  that  God  would  reveal  this  to  them 
also.  As  you  see  in  a  state,  so  long  as  all  the  citizens  hold  its 
fundamental  doctrines  necessary  for  the  performance  of  the 
duties  essential  to  its  preservation,  differences  are  tolerated  on 
many  other  subjects  of  minor  importance.  However  this  may 
be,  as  we  ought  all  to  strive  after  perfection,  we  should  try  by 
every  means  in  our  power  to  have  amongst  us  an  exact  and 
entire  uniformity  of  sentiments  ;  so  that  it  may  be  truly  said 
of  us  what  the  apostle  here  required  from  the  Philippians, 
that  we  should  ail  feel  the  same  thing.  Thus  it  appears  what 
this  concord  is  which  he  so  strongly  recommends,  namely,  a 
holy  union  of  mind  and  will  in  faith  and  affection.  And  he 
has  every  reason  in  the  world  to  ask  it  of  us  so  pressingly. 
For  in  fact  it  is  our  all;  it  is  the  legitimate  form  and  perfec- 
tion of  the  church.  In  the  first  place,  this  concord  is  the  most 
beautiful  thing  in  the  universe  ;  as  the  prophet  sings  in  one 
of  his  psalms,  "Behold,  how  good  and  how  pleasant  it  is  that 


CHAP.  IL]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  139 

brethren  should  dwell  together  in  unity  !"  Psal.  exxxiii.  1. 
God  sees  nothing  more  agreeable  to  him  on  earth  than  such  a 
society.  It  is  an  image  of  the  hearts  of  those  blessed  spirits 
who  adore  him  in  the  heavens  in  perfect  union.  But  besides 
its  beauty,  it  is  infinitely  useful  and  salutary,  for  it  is  to  it 
that  the  eternal  Father  gives  blessing  and  life,  Psal.  exxxiii. 
8.  It  is  to  it  that  the  Lord  Jesus  promises  his  grace  and  his 
favour  :  "  If  two  of  you  (says  he)  shall  agree  on  earth  as 
touching  any  thing  that  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  done  for 
them  of  my  Father,"  Matth.  xviii.  19.  This  concord  is  the 
joy  of  angels,  the  terror  of  devils,  the  strength  and  glory  of 
the  church.  If  you  would  know  how  necessary  it  is  to  the 
latter,  behold  the  misery  and  the  ravages  that  discord  has 
made  in  it.  It  is  it  which  in  times  past  ruined  ancient  Israel, 
having  broken,  by  a  sad  separation,  the  forces  that  God  had 
united.  It  is  it  which  has  warped  Christianity  into  so  many 
fashions,  and  has  occasioned  all  the  old  and  new  wounds 
which  it  has  received.  It  has  extinguished  religion  and  love. 
It  has  pointed  the  swords,  and  lighted  the  fires.  It  has  armed 
brother  against  brother,  and  has  violated  every  thing  that  is 
most  holy  and  most  sacred  in  human  nature.  It  has  ex- 
hausted the  church  of  blood  and  strength;  and  finally, 
exposed  one  part  a  prey  to  infidelity,  and  another  to  tyranny. 
It  is  it  again  that  has  stayed  the  progress  of  the  gospel  in  the 
days  of  our  fathers,  having  unhappily  divided  hands  which 
ought  to  have  laboured  together  in  so  good  a  work.  Dearly 
beloved  brethren,  let  us  fly  so  deadly  a  plague,  and  having 
known,  by  so  many  sad  experiences,  how  pernicious  it  is,  let 
us  dwell  united  together  in  the  sweet  and  happy  bonds  of  per- 
fect concord. 

III.  To  this  end,  let  us  attentively  listen  to,  and  faithfully 
practise,  the  instruction  which  the  apostle  gives  us  in  the  last 
two  verses  of  our  text:  "Let  nothing  be  done  (says  he) through 
strife  or  vain-glory  ;  but  in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each  esteem 
other  better  than  themselves.  Look  not  every  man  on  his 
own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  the  things  of  others."  To 
retain  peace  and  union  in  the  church,  he  warns  us  against  two 
vices,  strife  and  vain-glory,  the  two  principal  sources  of  divi- 
sion and  schism,  and  recommends  two  virtues  to  us,  humility 
and  the  care  of  our  neighbours,  the  two  mothers  and  nurses 
of  concord.  That  which  he  calls  strife  is  a  cross  and  puncti- 
lious humour,  which  occasions  suits  and  quarrels  on  every 
thing;  the  disease  of  headstrong  and  obstinate  minds,  which 
enjoy  debate  and  contention.  These  people  hate  the  beaten 
track,  and  always  choose  rough  and  solitary  roads.  They  dis- 
dain common  sentiments,  though  they  be  certain,  clear,  and 
true;  and  form  on  all  subjects  peculiar  opinions.  They  al- 
ways place  themselves  in  opposition  to  their  brethren,  and 


140  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VIII. 

their  hand,  like  that  of  Ishmael,  is  against  every  one,  and 
every  one's  hand  is  against  them.  It  is  enough  to  make  them 
give  up  an  opinion  to  show  them  that  others  hold  it.  Nothing 
charms  them  more  than  novelty,  extravagance,  and  singularity. 
Unhappy,  and  troublesome  minds,  plagues  of  human  society, 
parents  of  the  greater  part  of  the  seditions  and  wars  that  trou- 
ble the  world  and  the  church.  But  their  venom  is  so  much 
the  more  dangerous  in  the  church,  in  proportion  as  its  society 
is  holy,  and  its  union  precious.  It  is  this  cursed  humour 
which  formerly  inspired,  and  still  continues  to  imbue  many 
heretics  with  such  wild  and  ridiculous  opinions,  that  it 
is  a  wonder  how  they  have  ever  been  able,  I  do  not  say  to 
please,  but  to  enter  into  any  man's  mind.  And  when  it 
has  once  produced  some  monsters  of  this  kind,  it  caresses 
and  defends  them,  and,  engaging  in  this  design,  finally 
becomes  incapable  of  yielding.  It  is  thus  that  during 
the  first  ages  the  sects  were  formed  which  distracted  the  church. 
And  would  to  God  that  ours  were  exempt  from  them.  But 
the  other  vice,  which  the  apostle  adds  in  the  second  place, 
namely,  vain-glory,  has  as  much  place  or  more  than  the  pre- 
ceding. It  is  a  desire  to  acquire  reputation  and  to  be  talked 
of;  and  the  apostle  calls  it  "  vain-glory,"  because  this  lustre 
and  renown,  and  all  this  pretended  honour  after  which  ambi- 
tious spirits  so  passionately  aspire,  is  at  bottom  but  a  pure 
vanity,  which  has  neither  virtue  nor  efficacy  to  render  him 
who  possesses  it  more  happy  or  more  perfect  either  in  body  or 
soul.  "Who  can  tell  the  miseries  that  this  fatal  passion  has 
caused  among  men  ?  It  is  it  which  sows  wars  in  states,  quar- 
rels in  families,  and  divisions  in  the  church.  When  once  it 
has  taken  possession  of  the  mind  of  a  man,  there  is  no  longer 
any  abomination  of  which  he  is  not  capable.  I  omit  the  tor- 
ments and  uneasiness  which  it  gives  to  the  ambitious  and  to 
others.  But  we  may  well  say  that  there  is  no  vice  more  con- 
trary to  concord,  as  it  consists  in  a  certain  degree  of  equality; 
instead  of  which  vain-glory  can  suffer  no  equal,  always  desir- 
ing to  be  first.  Thus  it  has  lighted  all  the  divisions  that  have 
ever  burnt  in  the  church.  And  if  contention  has  given  a  be- 
ginning to  some  of  them,  vain-glory  has  not  been  wanting  to 
enrol  itself  instantly  of  the  party.  They  most  frequently  go 
in  company,  and  giving  each  other  the  hand,  contention  nour- 
ishing what  ambition  has  engendered,  and  in  the  same  way 
ambition  supporting  that  which  contention  has  produced.  It 
is  from  this  infernal  couple  that  Arianism,  Nestorianism,  and 
Eutychism  formerly  sprang,  which  were  likely  to  ruin  the 
whole  of  Christendom.  It  is  from  hence  that  the  famous  schism 
arose  between  the  east  and  the  west  ;  the  one  not  choosing  to 
endure  a  superior,  and  the  other  an  equal.  It  is  from  hence 
that  have  arisen  those  sad  and  shameful  disputes  among  the 


CHAP.   II.]         THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  141 

ministers  of  the  Lord,  whose  traces  appear  so  visibly  in  the 
history  of  the  church.  Notwithstanding  which,  (0  madness 
of  human  passions,  of  so  much  trouble  and  misery  !)  this  vice 
gathers  no  other  fruit  than  a  vain  glory,  as  the  apostle  here 
says,  and  a  real  infamy.  To  these  two  perverse  affections  he 
opposes  submission  and  humility:  "Let  nothing  be  done 
through  strife  or  vain-glory,  but  in  lowliness  of  mind  let  each 
esteem  other  better  than  themselves."  The  gospel  every 
where  recommends  humility  to  us,  a  virtue  unknown  to 
worldly  philosophy.  The  Lord  teaches  us  that  it  is  even  so 
necessary  to  his  disciples,  that  without  it  it  is  not  possible  for 
a  man  to  enter  into  his  kingdom  ;  and  makes  so  great  a  point 
of  it,  that  he  gives  the  first  rank  to  those  who  are  the  most 
humble.  And  in  truth,  if  we  consider,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
excellence  and  the  greatness  of  the  Lord,  and,  on  the  other, 
the  meanness  and  un  worthiness  of  our  nature,  vile  and  despi- 
cable in  its  being,  and  made  still  more  so  by  being  infected 
with  sin,  and  subject  to  its  curse,  we  shall  readily  confess  that 
it  is  very  reasonable  that  we  should  think  but  little  of  our- 
selves, and  that  the  most  esteemed  among  men  cannot  without 
injustice  have  a  high  opinion  of  themselves.  But  nevertheless, 
it  seems  difficult  to  understand  how  this  virtue  obliges  us  to 
the  duty,  the  performance  of  which  the  apostle  here  directs, 
that  of  each  one  of  us  esteeming  our  neighbour  better  than 
ourselves.  For  christian  virtues  are  not  contrary  to  one 
another.  Now  it  appears  that  the  mind  which  is  here  ordered  to 
us  may  be  contrary  to  the  soundness  of  truth  which  ought  to  be 
in  all  our  judgments.  For  if  one  believer  be  better  than 
another,  how  can  he,  without  falsehood,  esteem  that  other 
better  than  himself?  And  besides,  as  each  of  the  two  ought 
to  have  the  same  mind  towards  his  companion,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  it  is  impossible  that  each  of  the  two  should  be  more  ex- 
cellent than  the  other,  it  appears  that  humility  necessarily 
obliges  one  of  the  two  to  believe  a  thing  that  is  not  true,  which 
cannot  be  the  duty  of  a  worthy  man.  To  that,  my  brethren, 
I  reply,  that  things  are  of  two  kinds.  Of  the  one  the  truth  is 
certain  and  evident.  Of  others  we  can  only  judge  by  signs 
and  appearances,  which  are  not  infallible.  As  to  the  first,  we 
are  obliged  to  believe  them  such  as  they  are,  and  neither  hu- 
mility, nor  any  other  consideration,  can  free  us  from  this.  But 
as  to  others,  charity  ought  to  regulate  the  judgment  that  we 
make  of  them,  and  to  take  all  in  good  part  ;  and  if  sometimes 
the  truth  of  a  thing  does  not  answer  to  the  opinion  that  we 
have  of  it,  we  may  well  say  that  we  have  been  deceived,  but 
not  that  we  have  lied.  When  then  we  compare  ourselves  with 
others,  we  must  consider  what  sort  of  things  are  in  question. 
If  the  question  be  about  those  of  which  we  can  certainly  know 
the  truth,  our  judgment  must  go  with  the  side  on  which  it  is 


142  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  VIII. 

found.  For  example,  if  you  know  yourself  to  be  more  healthy, 
more  courageous,  more  eloquent,  or  more  rich,  than  your 
neighbour,  (and  all  this  may  be  easily  and  undoubtedly  known,) 
it  would  be  folly,  and  not  humility,  to  believe  the  contrary. 
And  thus  is  it  with  the  other  things  of  this  nature.  But  it  is 
not  thus  with  the  things  of  which  the  apostle  speaks.  He 
speaks  of  the  worth  and  excellence  of  the  person  itself,  and 
particularly  as  relating  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  Now  it  is 
evident  that  we  cannot  judge  with  certainty  what  is  truly  the 
state  of  our  neighbour  in  this  respect  ;  appearances  not  always 
answering  to  what  is  within,  and  the  advantages  of  this  nature 
not  consisting  in  what  may  be  outwardly  seen.  It  is  here  then 
that  humility  should  step  in,  to  prevent,  in  the  first  place,  our 
preferring  ourselves  to  our  brother,  under  the  shade  of  some 
outward  advantage  which  we  may  have  over  him;  and 
secondly,  to  lead  us  to  presume  much  in  his  favour,  and  cha- 
ritably to  believe  that  he  has  in  heart  hidden  treasures,  which 
place  him  above  us,  and  which  nevertheless  are  very  precious 
in  the  sight  of  God,  although  we  see  them  not.  And  it  is  in 
this  feeling  (as  I  said)  he  may  well  be  in  error,  but  it  is  evi- 
dent that  there  is  no  falsehood.  If  the  Pharisee  had  followed 
this  rule,  he  would  not,  under  the  cover  of  some  false  appear- 
ances, have  preferred  his  person  to  that  ofthe  publican,  who 
really,  and  before  God,  was  worth  more  than  himself.  I  con- 
fess that  our  nature  does  not  easily  relish  such  teaching.  For 
we  can  hardly  bear  that  any  one  should  equal  us,  much  less  to 
place  ourselves  below  all  others,  each  one  bearing  the  heart  of 
a  king  in  his  bosom,  and  imagining  that  there  is  nothing  more 
excellent  than  himself,  and  that  if  rank  followed  merit  he  ought 
to  be  the  master  of  the  human  race.  But  then  we  are  not  called 
by  the  Lord  to  live  according  to  the  dictates  of  our  nature, 
which  is  entirely  seasoned  with  vanity  and  pride.  That  we 
may  then  acquit  ourselves  of  this  duty,  let  us  consider  seriously 
our  un  worthiness,  the  miserable  state  we  were  in  before  grace 
came,  that  infinite  brood  of  all  sorts  of  vices  which  swarmed  in 
us,  the  excess,  the  rage,  to  which  we  were  carried,  the  curse  and 
the  hell  that  we  deserved,  our  weaknesses  themselves  even  since 
God  has  called  us,  our  cowardliness,  our  ingratitude,  our  evil  in- 
clinations, our  sins,  the  innumerable  faults  of  our  actions  and 
of  our  words,  and  the  secret  vanity,  injustice,  and  filth  of  our 
thoughts  and  affections  ;  and  that  if  we  have  any  graces, 
they  are  graces  which  ought  not  to  elate,  but  to  humble  us  ; 
and  that  the  more  we  have  received,  the  more  we  ought  to 
abase  ourselves,  as  you  see  among  the  ears  of  corn,  those  bend 
their  head  lowest  which  are  the  best  and  the  fullest  of  grain. 
And  as  to  our  neighbours,  let  us  look  at  and  prize  whatever 
they  have  that  is  good,  acknowledging  and  admiring  their 
gifts  ;  let  us  be  ignorant  of  or  excuse  what  there  is  wrong, 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  143 

and  let  us  do  quite  contrary  to  that  fabulous  nymph  of  the 
poets,  who  was  blind  at  home,  and  had  eyes  only  when  she 
was  with  her  neighbours.  Let  us  be  clear-sighted  and  se- 
vere against  ourselves,  gentle  and  indulgent  to  others.  If 
we  consider  in  this  way  our  persons  and  those  of  our  breth- 
ren, it  will  be  easy,  as  the  apostle  directs,  to  esteem  them 
more  excellent  than  ourselves.  If  once  we  make  this  judg- 
ment in  our  heart,  if  each  of  us  esteem  his  neighbour  more 
excellent  than  himself,  we  shall  establish  by  these  means  char- 
ity, patience,  and  concord  amongst  us.  We  shall  feel  no  envy 
at  the  good  things  of  others,  and  we  shall  have  great  compas- 
sion for  their  sorrows.  We  shall  receive  their  good  offices 
with  deep  gratitude,  as  favours,  and  not  as  duties  ;  and  we 
shall  bear  their  insults  (should  such  be  shown  us)  with  more 
patience.  And  if  they  have  the  same  opinion  of  us  that  we 
have  of  them,  what  society  in  the  world  will  be  more  happy 
than  ours?  Neither  contempt,  pride,  nor  contention,  neither 
disputes,  discord,  nor  envy,  nor  any  of  those  other  plagues 
which  ruin  and  infect  humanity,  shall  ever  enter  therein.  Hu- 
mility, as  a  rampart  of  brass  or  a  wall  of  iron,  shall  preserve 
us  in  safety  against  all  the  efforts  of  the  enemy. 

And  this  respectful  and  favourable  feeling  that  we  entertain 
for  each  other  will,  of  itself,  lead  to  the  duty  that  the  apostle 
here,  in  the  last  place,  requires  of  us  :  "  Look  not  every  man 
on  his  own  things,  but  every  man  also  on  the  things  of  others." 
For  it  will  be  impossible  for  us  not  to  regard  them,  if  we  es- 
teem them  more  excellent  than  ourselves  ;  the  little  care  that  we 
have  for  them  only  proving  the  small  esteem  in  which  we  hold 
them.  It  is  true  that  some  make  even  this  relate  to  what  the 
apostle  had  just  directed,  of  esteeming  our  brethren  more  than 
ourselves  ;  as  if  he  intended,  that,  to  lead  us  to  this  duty,  we 
should  consider  not  only  what  we  are,  and  what  God  has  given 
us,  but  also  what  others  are,  and  what  graces  they  have  received, 
being  very  certain  that  the  presumption  of  the  greater  part  of 
those  who  elevate  themselves  above  their  brethren  arises  from 
their  never  looking  at  or  admiring  anything  but  their  own 
good  qualities,  their  talents,  their  knowledge,  their  prudence, 
without  ever  throwing,  their  eyes  on  the  advantages  that  hea- 
ven has  dispensed  to  others  as  much  or  more  than  to  themselves. 
But  in  my  opinion  it  is  more  proper  to  take  these  words  as 
a  new  precept,  which  directs  us,  for  the  preservation  of  peace 
and  concord  amongst  ourselves,  to  have  respect,  not  only  to 
that  which  is  useful  and  advantageous  to  us,  but  also  to  what 
the  edification  and  consolation  of  our  brethren  demand.  Ile 
does  not  absolutely  forbid  each  one  looking  to  himself;  the 
care  is  just  and  legitimate  ;  but  he  does  not  wish  that  we  should 
so  entirely  attach  ourselves  to  it  as  to  forget  others.  And  cer- 
tainly, if  that  communion  of  nature  which  men  have  together 


144  AN  EXPOSITION  OF  [SERM.  VIII. 

so  evidently  obliges  each  of  them  to  care  for  his  neighbours, 
that  the  pagans  themselves  acknowledge  it,  saying  that  they 
hold  no  human  things  as  foreign,  or  separated  from  them,  how- 
much  more  should  the  grace  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ,  which  has  united  us  all  into  one  body,  unite  our 
interests  !  Do  not  look  upon  these  believers  whom  the  apostle 
recommends  to  you  as  strangers.  They  are  your  brethren. 
They  are  your  flesh,  and  your  blood. 

But  if  he  obliges  us  to  look  upon  what  belongs  to  them  with 
care  for  their  interests,  it  is  not  from  thence  to  be  said  that  he 
permits  curiosity,  that  vice  of  human  nature  which  another 
apostle  expressly  forbids,  not  wishing  that  we  should  be  pry- 
ing into  the  affairs  of  others.  To  know  what  belongs  to  your 
neighbours,  and  afterwards  to  be  careful  for  them,  it  is  not  ne- 
cessary to  leave  the  business  of  your  vocation,  nor  to  inter- 
meddle with  that  of  others,  nor  to  trouble  yourselves  with  use- 
less inquiries,  or  prying  curiously  into  the  secrets  of  persons 
or  families.  You  may,  at  least,  yield  your  brethren  the  duty 
here  recommended,  with  a  sincere  and  upright  conscience,  and 
entirely  exempt  from  such  unworthy  motives. 

Thus  we  have  now  explained  all  the  parts  of  this  text.  It 
is  not,  as  you  see,  brethren,  very  difficult  to  understand  it. 
The  principal  point  is,  that  you  should  put  it  in  practice  ;  and 
that  this  excellent  instruction  of  the  apostle  should  be  read  in 
your  lives  as  well  as  in  his  Epistles.  Among  the  reasons 
which  enforce  it  upon  you,  I  dare  not  bring  forward,  after  his 
example,  what  consolation  you  owe  us,  from  the  extreme  and 
immense  disproportion  there  is  between  us  and  this  great 
apostle  ;  although,  after  all,  whatever  we  may  be  elsewhere,  as 
we  have  the  honour  to  be  ministers  of  God  amongst  you,  it  is 
clear  that  you  cannot,  without  injustice,  refuse  to  have  some 
regard  to  our  satisfaction.  But  putting  ourselves  aside,  I  will 
bring  before  you  the  example  of  all  the  church,  that  of  the 
holy  angels  who  are  in  the  midst  of  us,  that  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
himself,  who  incessantly  sees  and  looks  upon  us.  Their  uni- 
ted joy  is  to  behold  us  living  holily  in  perfect  concord.  The 
church,  in  those  battles  which  she  is  now  enduring,  can  receive 
no  greater  consolation.  And  the  Lord  and  his  angels  can  see 
nothing  on  earth  that  is  more  agreeable  to  them.  If,  then,  be- 
loved brethren,  "there  is  any  consolation  in  Christ,  if  any 
comfort  of  love,  if  any  fellowship  of  the  Spirit,  if  any  bowels 
and  mercies,  fulfil  ye  my  joy."  May  they  see  nothing  among 
us  calling  for  their  tears,  or  for  their  sighs  ;  no  disputes,  no 
contentions,  no  vanity,  no  pride,  no  quarrels,  no  law-suits. 
May  they  see  only  subjects  for  rejoicing  ;  one  faith,  one  love, 
one  firm  and  inextinguishable  concord,  one  simple  and  real 
humility,  a  respectful  deference  and  a  cordial  affection  towards 
each  other.     May  they  see  from  this  age  the  first-fruits  of  that 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  145 

which  is  to  come,  a  willing  and  peaceful  people,  full  of  piety 
and  good  works,  clothed  with  light  and  purity,  and  worthy  of 
the  extraction,  the  citizenship,  and  the  communion  of  the  hea- 
venly and  immortal  Jerusalem,  founded  and  built  above  in  the 
heavens.  And  as  all  the  benefits  of  God,  both  spiritual  and 
temporal,  ought  to  minister  to  our  sanctification,  so  let  that 
favour  also,  dear  brethren,  which  he  has  just  granted  us  in 
hearing  the  united  prayers  of  all  this  kingdom,  and  fulfilling 
the  joy  of  the  king,*  our  sovereign  lord,  by  the  happy  birth  of 
the  second  son  which  he  has  given  him.  This  favour  is  great 
and  excellent  in  every  way,  both  in  itself  and  as  it  regards  us  : 
in  itself,  for  it  is  an  effect  of  that  extraordinary  power  and 
goodness  of  God  which  the  prophet  celebrates  in  one  of  his 
psalms  :  "  He  maketh  the  barren  woman  to  keep  house,  and  to 
be  a  joyful  mother  of  children,"  Psal.  cxiii.  9.  This  is  the 
wonder  that  he  shows  us  now  in  the  house  of  our  monarch,  en- 
riching it  with  these  fruits  of  his  blessing,  after  its  having  so 
long  been  without  them.  But  this  favour  is  also  great  as  it 
respects  ourselves.  For  the  offspring  of  the  king  are  the  sup- 
ports of  his  house,  the  column  of  his  kingdom,  the  establish- 
ment of  the  public  peace,  and  the  sure  foundation  of  the  pros- 
perity and  happiness  of  his  people.  And  among  all  these  sub- 
jects there  is  not  one  which  has  more  interest  for  us  than  that 
we,  in  the  midst  of  so  much  evil  and  so  many  fears,  only  sub- 
sist, humanly  speaking,  by  the  clemency  and  authority  of  our 
sovereign.  Let  us  then  rejoice  before  God,  and  let  us  receive 
this  his  favour  with  all  the  gratitude  of  which  our  souls  are 
capable.  Let  us  bless  his  divine  majesty,  and  praise  him  with 
all  humility,  in  that  he  has  given  to  our  king  the  wish  of  his 
heart,  and  has  not  refused  him  that  which  he  had  desired  with 
his  lips.  Let  us  beseech  this  almighty  and  eternal  Lord  to  pour 
out  his  grace  on  the  sacred  branches  of  the  royal  stem,  that 
they  may  grow  and  prosper  in  his  presence.  To  the  devotion 
of  our  prayers,  join  we  the  innocence  and  the  goodness  of  our 
works  ;  let  us  love  and  religiously  serve  this  great  God  who  is 
so  good  to  us.  Let  us  yield  ourselves  with  sincere  devotion  to 
his  anointed,  whom  he  deigns  to  load  with  so  many  favours, 
yielding  to  him  and  to  his  ministers  an  exemplary  obedience 
and  fidelity.  Let  us  live  with  our  fellow  citizens  in  all  right- 
eousness and  honesty,  and  amongst  ourselves  with  a  purity 
and  sanctiiication  which  may  accord  with  the  excellence  of  the 
doctrine  of  which  we  make  profession  ;  to  the  glory  of  God, 
the  edification  of  men,  and  to  our  own  salvation.     Amen. 

Preached  at   Charenton,  Sunday,  lQth  Sept.,  1640. 

*  Louis  xiii.  (Editor.) 
19 


146  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.   IX. 

SEKMON  IX. 

VEKSES  5 — 8. 

Let  this  mind  be  in  you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus  ;  who, 
being  in  the  form  of  God,  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with 
God:  but  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon  him 
the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men: 
and  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself,  and 
became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross. 

My  dear  brethren,  if  there  be  any  mystery  in  the  christian 
religion  which  is  great  and  high  above  the  thoughts  of  men 
and  angels,  it  is  without  doubt  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  of 
God,  and  his  profitable  humiliation.     And  if  there  be  in  all  the 
holy  scriptures   any  place  in  which   this  important  truth  is 
clearly  and  magnificently  represented,  it  is  in  the  text  we  have 
now  read,  which  is  our  portion  for  to-day.     The  terms  of  it 
are  so  sublime,  so  majestic,  that  it  is  impossible  anything  more 
heavenly  could  be  said.     The  meaning  is  so  noble,  and  so  well 
established,  that  nothing  more  powerful  could  be  imagined  ; 
the  apostle  battering  down  in  these  few  words  all  that  hell 
has  ever  invented  against  this  sacred  and  inviolable  foundation 
of  our  faith.     You  may  remember,  that  in  the  preceding  text 
he  had  very  affectionately  recommended  to  us  humility.     But 
as  this  virtue  is  on  one  side  absolutely  necessary  to  our  salva- 
tion, and  on  the  other  infinitely  contrary  to  the  tastes  and  in- 
clinations of  our  nature,  he  does  not  content  himself  with  those 
efficacious  means  which  he  had  before  employed  for  touching 
our  hearts,  conjuring  us  to  yield  ourselves  to  them  by  every- 
thing that  is  most  holy  and  most  delightful  in  the  fellowship 
of  the  Lord  ;  but  to  vanquish,  and  entirely  eradicate,  all  the 
pride  of  our  flesh,  he  here  places  before  us  the  example  of  Je- 
sus Christ  himself,  as  much  to  elevate  before  our  eyes  a  true 
and  lively  image  of  the  humility  which  should  be  in  us,  as  to 
take  from  those  who  cannot  relish  it  every  excuse  and  every 
pretext  for  their  vanity.     For  since  the  Son  of  God  has  volun- 
tarily abased  himself  to  such  a  depth  of  humiliation,  what  ven- 
geance and  hell  would  not  our  pride  deserve,  if,  after  his  ex- 
ample, we,  who  are  but  miserable  worms  of  the  earth,  should 
still  make  any  difficulty  in  humbling  ourselves  ?     "  Let  this 
mind  (says  the  holy  apostle)  be  in  you,  which  was  also  in 
Christ  Jesus."     Do  not  imagine  that,  in  exhorting  you  to  hum- 
ble and  abase  yourselves  below  your  brethren,  I  am  requiring 
anything  unworthy  of  you.     I  ask  nothing  of  you  which  has 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  147 

not  been  in  Jesus  Christ.  These  thoughts  and  feelings  which 
I  recommend  to  you  he  has  first  entertained.  Do  not  then 
disdain  what  he  has  cherished.  That  humility  which  was 
sanctified  by  having  had  a  place  in  his  heart,  receive  ye  into 
yours.  Have  for  your  neighbours  sentiments  and  feelings 
similar  to  those  which  he  had  for  you.  What  could  the  apos- 
tle allege  more  suitable  to  his  design  ?  For  in  the  first  place, 
as  Jesus  Christ  is  our  Master,  and  we  make  profession  of  being 
his  disciples,  is  it  not  reasonable  that  we  should  follow  his  ex- 
ample ?  Where  is  the  servant  who  does  not  consider  it  a  glory 
to  resemble  his  master  ?  Surely,  if  we  have  any  spark  of  true 
generosity,  nothing  ought  more  ardently  to  incite  us  to  the 
study  of  great  and  difficult  things  than  thinking  that  in  doing 
them  we  shall  be  like  our  Lord.  For  what  is  there  in  the 
world  finer  or  more  noble,  or  more  worthy  of  our  love  and 
of  our  wishes,  than  this  holy  and  heavenly  conformity  ?  This 
is  the  reason  why  Jesus  Christ  in  the  gospel  does  not 
only  propose  to  us  the  ancient  prophets,  although  in  truth  it 
would  be  a  great  honour  to  us  to  have  some  resemblance  to 
such  holy  persons  ;  but  he  presents  us  with  his  own  example, 
and  even  with  that  of  his  Father  :  "  Learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek 
and  lowly  in  heart,"  Matt.  xi.-29.  "  Love  your  enemies,  bless 
them  which  curse  you,  do  good  to  those  that  hate  you  ;  for 
your  heavenly  Father  causeth  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  good  and 
on  the  evil,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust," 
Matt.  v.  44,  45.  Paul  also  speaks  in  the  same  way  :  "  Forgiv- 
ing one  another,  even  as  God  for  Christ's  sake  has  forgiven 
you,"  Eph.  iv.  32.  "  Be  ye  followers  of  God,  as  dear  children  : 
and  walk  in  love,  as  Christ  also  hath  loved  us,"  Eph.  v.  1. 
And  in  exhorting  the  Corinthians  to  exercise  charity  to  the 
poor,  he  says,  "  For  ye  know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
that,  though  he  was  rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  he  became  poor, 
that  ye,  through  his  poverty,  might  be  rich,"  2  Cor.  viii.  9. 
And  in  various  other  places  he  proposes  to  us  the  example  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  certainly  with  good  reason.  For  besides  the 
excellency  and  dignity  of  his  nature,  he  has  also  that  of  a  pri- 
vate person,  and  as  such  has  been  given  to  us  by  the  Father 
as  the  true  and  only  pattern  of  our  life.  All  the  faithful  are 
predestinated  to  be  conformed  to  his  image,  says  the  apostle 
in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  "  He  has  left  us  an  example," 
says  Peter,  "  that  we  should  follow  his  steps."  He  is  not  only 
the  author  of  this  new  and  happy  life,  which  he  has  purchased 
with  the  price  of  his  own  blood,  he  is  also  the  mould  and  the 
pattern.  He  is  its  efficient  cause  and  model,  as  they  speak  in 
the  schools,  having  formed  for  us  in  himself  a  fine  and  living 
image,  perfect  in  all  its  features,  and  set  off  with  all  its  colours  ;  so 
that,  having  it  continually  before  our  eyes,  we  may  each  of  us 
draw  in  our  souls  the  most  perfect  copy  of  it,  one  as  like  the 


143  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IX. 

original  as  possible.  Thus  it  is  with  great  reason  that  the  apostle, 
to  form  us  to  humility,  proposes  to  us  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Christians,  behold  this  divine  example  with  attention  !  Open 
whatever  you  have  of  mind  to  understand  and  admire  it,  but 
strive  principally  to  imitate  it,  which  is  the  design  for  which 
it  is  here  placed  before  our  eyes.  And  may  the  Lord  himself 
discover  to  us  its  wonders,  and  inspire  us  with  a  love  for  it, 
by  the  efficacy  of  his  good  Spirit,  to  his  glory,  and  to  our  con- 
solation and  edification. 

To  explain  to  you  what  the  apostle  says  of  the  humility  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we  must  by  the  grace  of  God  consider 
in  order  the  two  points  which  present  themselves  in  this  text  : 
first,  What  the  Lord  was  in  himself;  and  secondly,  In  what, 
and  to  what,  he  had  humbled  himself  for  us.  The  apostle  pre- 
sents the  first  to  us  in  the  sixth  verse  in  these  words,  "  That 
Jesus  Christ,  being  in  the  form  of  God,  and  equal  with  God." 
The  second  in  the  two  following  verses,  "  That  he  made  him- 
self of  no  reputation,  and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  ser- 
vant, and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men  :  and  being  found 
in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient 
unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross."  The  former  of  these 
is  the  first  and  original  condition  of  the  Lord,  in  which  he  was 
with  the  Father;  the  latter,  the  second,  in  which  he  is  among 
us  :  the  one  treats  of  his  nature,  the  other  of  his  dispensation 
or  economy;  the  one  of  that  state  from  which  he  had 
abased  himself,  the  other  of  that  to  which  he  had  humbled 
himself. 

I.  To  arrive  at  the  first,  the  apostle  describes  it  by  saying 
that  Jesus  Christ,  being  or  subsisting  (for  that  is  precisely  what 
the  word  signifies  in  the  original)  "  in  the  form  of  God, 
thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,"  where  you  see 
that,  to  explain  to  us  the  state  in  which  the  Lord  Jesus  was 
when  he  took  upon  himself  the  form  of  a  servant,  he  attri- 
butes two  things  to  him  ;  the  one,  "  that  he  was  in  the  form  of 
God  ;"  the  other,  that  he  was  "  equal  with  God."  Certainly 
the  Son  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  Father,  the  brightness 
of  his  glory,  and  the  express  image  of  his  person  ;  his  living 
and  essential  image,  which  contains  and  truly  exhibits  in  itself 
all  his  essence  and  all  his  perfections,  his  divinity,  his  eter- 
nity, his  power,  his  goodness,  his  justice,  and  all  his  other  at- 
tributes ;  there  being  nothing  in  the  nature  of  the  one  which, 
there  is  not  in  that  of  the  other  :  so  that  in  this  respect  we 
can  justly  and  truly  affirm  that  he  has  the  form  of  God  ;  in 
the  same  manner  (if  we  may  compare  earth  to  heaven,  and  the 
creatures  to  the  Creator)  as  we  say  of  a  child,  that  he  perfectly 
resembles  his  father,  not  only  in  the  features  and  lineaments 
of  the  body,  but  also  in  the  virtues  and  habits  of  his  mind  ; 
that  he  is  the  form  or  ima°;e  of  his  father.     But  we  must  con- 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  149 

sider  that  the  apostle  says  that  Jesus  Christ  was  in  the  form 
of  God,  and  not  that  he  was  or  that  he  had  the  form  of  God. 
What  then  is  this  form  of  God  in  which  the  Lord  was  when 
he  took  our  flesh  upon  him?  Dear  brethren,  it  is  not  simply 
the  divine  nature  which  was  in  him,  the  true  and  perfect  form 
of  the  person  of  the  Father  ;  but  it  is  that  nature  invested 
with  his  majesty,  clothed  with  his  glory,  and  accompanied 
with  a  pomp  worthy  of  his  supreme  excellence.  "  To  be  in 
the  form  of  God  "  is  to  have  a  sovereign  majesty,  to  enjoy  an 
infinite  glory,  to  exercise  tbe  authority,  the  rights,  and  the 
functions  of  God,  to  live  and  appear  in  a  manner  suitable  to 
this  great  and  incomprehensible  nature.  Thus  to  be  in  the 
form  of  God  signifies  not  only  to  be  king,  to  possess  majesty 
and  power,  but  also  to  have  the  insignia  of  royalty,  its  courtly 
train  and  splendid  equipage.  For  what  is  the  form  of  a  king 
unaccompanied  with  the  symbols  and  characters  of  that  dig- 
nity, the  pageantry  and  the  brilliance  which  accompany  it,  as 
the  sceptre,  the  diadem,  the  throne,  and  the  guards  ?  Thus 
formerly  among  the  Eomans  we  might  call  the  form  of  a  con- 
sul, the  equipage  and  the  pomp  with  which  the  laws  and  cus- 
toms of  that  people  invested  those  who  exercised  the  office, 
the  purple,  the  ivory  chair,  the  twelve  lictors  with  their  fasces 
and  rods,  and  such  like.  When  then  the  apostle  here  says 
that  the  Lord,  before  taking  our  nature  upon  him,  was  in  the 
form  of  God,  he  does  not  merely  intend  that  he  was  God  in 
himself,  and  that  he  had  the  true  nature  of  the  divinity  ;  but 
further  still,  that  he  possessed  the  glory,  and  enjoyed  all  the 
dignity,  majesty,  and  grandeur  due  to  so  high  a  name.  This 
is  precisely  what  the  Lord  means  in  John,  by  the  glory  which 
he  says  he  had  with  the  Father  before  the  world  was.  For 
before  this  eternal  Word  and  Wisdom  had  taken  to  himself 
the  human  nature,  he  had  nothing  low  or  weak  in  him.  Every 
thing  was  great,  magnificent,  and  truly  divine.  He  was  with 
God  in  the  bosom  of  the  eternal  Father,  subsisting  there  in  an 
incomprehensible  manner,  and  worthy  of  his  divine  nature. 
If  he  negotiated  with  men,  if  he  interfered  in  the  government 
of  the  universe,  there  was  nothing  in  his  providence  which 
was  not  glorious  and  majestic.  Those  communications  which 
he  held  with  the  creatures  were  the  same  as  those  of  the  Father. 
I  confess  that  it  was  the  Son  who  created  the  world,  and  that 
without  him  was  no  part  of  the  universe  made.  It  is  by  him 
that  kings  rule  and  princes  govern  ;  he  then  frequented  the 
earth,  and  his  delight  was  with  the  children  of  men,  as  says 
the  wise  man  in  Prov.  viii.  But  notwithstanding,  in  all  this 
there  was  nothing  abject  or  contemptible  ;  on  the  contrary,  it 
was  therein  that  a  part  of  that  glory,  and  of  that  form  of  God 
in  which  the  Lord  was,  consisted.  For  the  rule  and  empiro 
over  all  things  is  an  honour  that  belongs  to  God  alone.     Such 


150  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IX. 

was  the  state  of  the  Son  of  God  when  he  descended  for  our 
sakes  upon  the  earth.  Seated  on  the  eternal  throne  with  the 
Father,  surrounded  by  his  angels,  and  adored  by  all  his  crea- 
tures, he  lived  and  reigned  with  him  in  a  divine  manner,  with 
out  having  any  other  intercourse  with  the  vileness  of  the 
world,  except  so  far  as  it  required  his  providence  to  uphold  it 
in  the  condition  in  which  he  had  created  it.  This  is  what 
Paul  means  when  he  says  that  Jesus  Christ  was  in  the  form  of 
God. 

To  which,  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  himself  more 
clearly,  he  adds  that  he  was  "  equal  with  God."  As  to  these 
words,  "he  thought  it  not  robbery,"  on  account  of  the  differ- 
ent expositions  of  them  which  have  been  given,  we  shall  for  a 
while  defer  explaining  their  meaning,  and  at  this  time  only 
dwell  upon  that  in  which  all  interpreters  unanimously  agree, 
namely,  that  the  Lord  "  was  equal  with  God."  Doubtless  the 
psalmist  and  the  other  prophets  declare  in  a  thousand  places 
that  there  is  nothing  in  the  universe  equal  to  God,  whether  it 
regard  his  nature,  his  power,  or  his  wisdom.  As  then  Jesus 
Christ  was  equal  to  him,  we  must  necessarily  conclude  that  he 
was  God  blessed  for  evermore  with  the  Father,  of  the  same 
power,  wisdom,  and  goodness  ;  that  he  was  the  same  Eternal 
formerly  adored  by  ancient  Israel,  and  celebrated  by  the  pro- 
phets. Now,  before  going  further,  remark  and  admire,  I  be- 
seech you,  the  richness,  the  -strength,  and  the  efficacy  of  the 
scriptures  in  these  few  words  of  the  apostle,  which  are  suffi- 
cient to  demolish  all  those  heresies  which  have  risen  up 
against  the  Lord.  In  the  first  place,  they  confound  the  impu- 
dence of  those  who  deny  that  Jesus  Christ  has  subsisted  in  the 
nature  of  things,  before  his  conception  and  his  birth  of  the 
blessed  Virgin.  "  Being,  or  subsisting,  in  the  form  of  God,  he 
made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took  the  form  of  a  servant." 
He  was  then  already  in  the  form  of  God,  when  he  took  upon  him- 
self the  form  of  a  servant.  Now  it  is  evident  that  he  took  it  when 
he  was  made  flesh,  when  he  was  conceived  by  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  the  womb  of  his  mother.  Undoubtedly  he  then  already 
was  ;  he  was  God,  and  only  began  to  be,  with  regard  to  his 
human  nature,  in  the  form  of  a  servant,  with  which  he  invested 
himself,  not  having  had  it  before.  As  to  what  some  of  these 
heretics  say,  that  by  the  form  of  God  in  which  the  Lord  was, 
we  must  understand  the  excellence  and  the  dignity  of  his  hu- 
man nature,  shown  in  the  rays  which  from  time  to  time  he 
caused  to  appear  through  the  veil  of  his  humanity,  it  is  an  il- 
lusion which  cannot  stand.  In  the  first  place,  by  this  reckon- 
ing, Jesus  Christ  must  have  taken  the  form  of  a  servant 
before  being  in  the  form  of  God  ;  directly  contrary  to  the 
sense  and  words  of  the  apostle,  who  says,  that  being  in  the  form 
of  God,  he  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,  but 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  151 

made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and  was  clothed  with  the  form 
of  a  servant.  Secondly,  because  all  this  splendour  in  the  hu- 
man nature  of  Jesus  Christ,  if  there  had  been  nothing  more 
in  him,  could  not  in  any  sense  whatever  have  been  called  the 
form  of  God,  and  still  less  as  being  equal  with  God.  The 
angels  are  as  excellent,  or  more  so,  than  any  human  nature 
can  be,  whatever  grace  we  may  suppose  the  Creator  to  have 
imparted  to  it,  except  the  personal  union  with  the  Deity.  Yet 
the  psalmist  declares  that  there  are  none  of  these  blessed  spirits 
who  are,  I  will  not  say  equal,  but  even  comparable  to  the  ma- 
jesty of  God.  As  then  the  apostle  protests  that  the  being  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  was  equal  with  God,  it  must  necessarily  be  ac- 
knowledged that  there  was  in  him  some  other  thing  than  the 
flesh,  which  he  took  for  us  ;  that  is  to  say,  that  eternal  Word, 
which  at  the  beginning  was  with  God,  and  was  God.  I  confess, 
that  so  long  as  the  Lord  was  here  below,  the  infirmity  of  his 
flesh  could  not  so  entirely  veil  the  light  of  his  divinity,  but 
that  it  pierced  this  cloud,  and  shone  forth  in  splendour  capable 
of  making  itself  recognized  by  those  who  beheld  it  attentively. 
And  this  is  what  John  means,  when  he  says  at  the  beginning 
of  his  Gospel,  that  they  had  seen  his  glory,  the  glory  as  of  the 
only  begotten  of  the  Father.  But  notwithstanding  this,  all 
these  rays  and  emanations  of  his  glory  are  not  sufficient  to 
justify  the  expression  that  he  then  lived  in  the  form  of  God, 
and  in  a  manner  equal  to  God,  as  the  humility  of  his  flesh  kept 
the  greater  part  of  this  divine  form  hidden. 

I  come  to  those  who,  confessing  that  the  Son  of  God  existed 
before  he  was  born  in  our  flesh,  will  have,  that  this  chief  nature 
which  he  then  possessed  had  been  created,  and  was  of  a  sub- 
stance different  from  that  of  the  Father.  The  apostle  com- 
pletely upsets  their  impiety  ;  first,  in  saying  that  the  form  in 
which  he  then  was,  was  the  form  of  God.  For  who  can  main- 
tain, without  blasphemy,  that  any  of  the  angels,  or  any  other 
creature  whatsoever,  can  be  in  the  form  of  God?  Give  them 
what  intelligence  you  please,  if  they  are  creatures,  they  will 
always  remain  infinitely  below  the  form  of  the  Creator.  And 
it  cannot  here  be  argued  that  "the  form  of  God"  signifies  his 
glory,  and  not  his  nature;  his  majesty  and  not  his  essence. 
For  in  the  first  place,  I  contend  that  though  it  be  true,  that 
this  word  here  denotes  more  precisely  the  first  than  the  second, 
it  nevertheless  appears  by  the  contrast,  of  "the  form  of  a  ser- 
vant," which  the  apostle  adds,  that  it  comprehends  both;  that 
is  to  say,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  that  it  really  signifies  a 
nature  truly  divine,  clothed  with  a  suitable  glory  ;  as  well  as 
"the  form  of  a  servant,"  that  the  Lord  has  taken,  signifies  in 
the  other  part  of  this  text  a  flesh  truly  human,  clothed  with 
all  its  weaknesses  and  infirmities.  Secondly,  supposing  it 
were  granted,  that  this  "form  of  God,"  of  which  the  apostle 


152  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IX. 

speaks,  only  signifies  the  glory  and  the  majesty  of  God,  still  I 
maintain  that  it  is  enough  to  convince  us  that  the  Lord  was 
truly  God  by  his  nature.  For  none  can  have  this  glory  but 
God;  and  that  for  two  reasons:  the  one,  that  the  thing  itself  is 
absolutely  impossible;  the  other,  because  the  will  of  God  is 
opposed  to  it.  As  to  the  first,  it  is  evident  that  a  finite  subject 
is  incapable  of  that  which  is  infinite,  it  being  impossible  that 
that  which  is  less  should  hold,  or  contain,  that  which  is  greater 
than  itself;  so  that  every  creature  being  of  necessity  finite,  it 
is  a  thing  in  every  way  impossible  that  it  should  have  the  form, 
that  is  to  say,  the  glory  and  majesty,  of  God,  who  is  infinite. 
But  the  will  of  God  no  less  rejects  it  than  the  nature  of  the 
thing  itself.  For  God  protests  loudly  in  Isaiah,  "I  will  not 
give  my  glory  to  another,"  Isa.  xlii.  8;  xlviii.  11.  As  then 
the  Lord  Jesus,  before  he  took  our  flesh,  was  in  the  form  of 
God,  it  necessarily  follows  that  he  was  truly  God,  no  one  being 
able  to  have  the  glory  of  God  but  he  who  had  his  nature  also. 
And  what  the  apostle  adds,  that  he  was  "equal  with  God," 
clearly  also  determines  the  same  thing  ;  it  being  evident  that 
if  the  Son  were  a  creature,  he  could  not  be  equal  to  God  ; 
every  creature  being  of  necessity  infinitely  below  the  nature, 
power,  and  majesty  of  the  Creator.  But  that  also  incontestably 
proves  that  the  Son  is  a  person  distinct  from  the  Father, 
against  those  who,  being  forced  to  confess  that  their  nature  is 
the  same,  confound  also  their  persons.  For  equality  can  only 
exist  between  different  persons;  none  is  equal  to  himself;  so 
that  Paul,  saying  that  the  Son  is  equal  to  the  Father,  ne- 
cessarily presupposes  that  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  two  per- 
sons. Such  is  the  power  and  copiousness  of  these  words  of 
the  apostle  against  all  sorts  of  error. 

But  he  does  not  merely  say  that  Jesus  Christ  was  equal  to 
God.  He  adds,  that  "  he  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal 
with  God."  The  word  "robbery"  may  here  be  taken  either 
literally  or  figuratively.  Literally,  as  when  we  call  a  thing 
stolen,  of  which  an  individual  has  become  improperly  pos- 
sessed, without  any  just  and  legitimate  right.  It  is  thus  that 
the  king  of  the  evil  angels  wished  to  have  the  divinity,  carried 
away  by  pride,  having  usurped  the  honour  which  belonged 
to  his  Creator  alone.  Adam,  our  first  father,  aimed  at  it 
in  the  same  manner,  having  undertaken,  against  all  reason,  to 
become  like  God.  If  these  unhappy  beings  had  succeeded  in 
their  vain  and  unjust  designs,  the  pretended  equality  they 
would  have  had  with  God,  and  it  was  such  in  their  foolish 
imagination,  would  have  been  a  robbery.  The  apostle  then 
intended  to  say  that  it  was  not  the  same  with  our  Lord  Jesus, 
that  he  wronged  no  one  by  being  in  the  form  of  God,  and 
equal  with  God  ;  because  being  truly  God,  as  he  is,  the  glory 
and  majesty  due  to  such  a  nature  lawfully  belonged  to  him  ; 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PH-ILIPPIANS.  153 

so  that  he  had  a  right  to  possess  and  enjoy  it,  and  for  employ- 
ing it  cannot  justly  be  accused  of  robbery,  that  is  to  say,  of 
force  or  fraud,  or,  in  a  word,  of  any  injustice.  But  although 
the  Lord  did  not  think  this  equality  of  being  that  he  had  with 
God  to  be  a  robbery,  although  he  knew  that  he  had  a  right  to  it, 
and  could  retain  it  lawfully,  nevertheless  of  his  free-will  he 
"  made  himself  of  no  reputation,"  says  the  apostle,  "  and  took 
the  form  of  a  servant."  I  acknowledge  that  this  exposition  is 
true  in  the  main,  and  that  it  does  not  ill  become  either  the 
object  or  the  words  of  the  apostle.  For  for  its  foundation 
nothing  is  more  true  than  what  it  presupposes,  that  the  Son, 
before  his  humiliation,  enjoyed  the  form  of  God,  and  a  majesty 
and  glory  equal  to  his,  by  the  just  and  legitimate  right  of  his 
own  nature,  and  not  by  robbery,  or  any  other  species  of  in- 
justice. And  as  to  the  apostle,  it  forwards  his  object,  which 
is  to  glorify  the  humiliation  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  showing,  as 
it  does,  that  he  humbled  himself,  taking  quite  another  form 
from  that  in  which  he  had  been  before  ;  that  he  had  not  been 
constrained  to  do  it,  or  that  he  did  it  through  ignorance  of  his 
rights,  but  by  his  pure  and  voluntary  goodness  ;  knowing  well 
that  he  might  justly  have  acted  otherwise,  had  he  pleased. 
And,  finally,  as  to  the  words  of  Paul,  this  interpretation  may 
be  accommodated,  as  the  genius  of  the  Greek  language  in 
which  they  were  written  permits  their  being  so  interpreted, 
"Jesus  Christ,  being  in  the  form  of  God,  would  not  have 
thought  it  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,  but  made  himself  of 
no  reputation  ;"  or,  as  our  Bibles  have  translated  it,  with  the 
same  meaning,  "  however,  he  made  himself  of  no  reputation." 
But  besides  this  exposition,  which  is  the  most  common,  there 
is  still  another,  which  perhaps  is  not  less  easy  or  less  suitable, 
in  taking  the  words  of  the  apostle  figuratively,  "  that  Jesus 
Christ  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God,"  as  imply- 
ing that  he  has  not  made  a  trophy  of  this  his  prerogative,  that 
he  has  not  drawn  from  it  any  subject  for  glory  or  vanity. 
For  it  was  then  a  custom  almost  universal  in  the  world,  that 
victors  who  had  conquered  or  carried  off  something  from  their 
enemies  by  force,  as  their  ensigns,  or  their  arms,  should  erect 
them  as  trophies,  elevate  them  on  trees  or  columns,  or  some 
high  places,  and  raise  other  similar  monuments  for  a  testimony 
of  their  valour;  whilst  as  to  the  things  which  we  possess  by 
the  ordinary  rights  of  nature,  or  by  civil  justice,  we  do  nothing 
of  the  kind.  This  vanity,  which  was  common  in  the  apostle's 
days,  is  a  reason  why  these  words,  "  thought  it  not  robbery," 
may  be  employed,  as  meaning  to  glorify  himself  by  it,  and 
make  a  parade  of  it,  and  take  it  for  a  matter  of  trophy  or  tri- 
umph. Thus  the  sense  of  this  text  will  be  simple  and  easy, 
that  the  Lord  Jesus,  being  in  the  form  of  God,  did  not  make  a 
trophy  of  being  equal  with  God  ;  he  never  thought  of  making 
20 


154  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IX. 

a  parade  of  it,  publishing  and  showing  it  to  every  one,  in 
bearing  himself  as  God,  and  appearing  on  the  earth  with  a 
pomp  and  glory  worthy  of  his  divinity. 

II.  The  apostle  adds,  he  "  made  himself  of  no  reputation, 
and  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in  the 
likeness  of  men  ;  and  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,  he 
humbled  himself,  and  became  obedient  unto  death,  even  the 
death  of  the  cross."  This  is  the  second  point  of  which  we 
proposed  to  treat.  We  have  heard  what  the  Lord  was  by  na- 
ture ;  let  us  now  see  what  he  became  by  dispensation.  He  was 
God,  equal  to  the  Father,  and  in  the  form  of  God.  He  made 
himself  man,  and  a  servant,  obedient  unto  the  cross.  The 
apostle  proposes  two  parts  for  our  consideration  in  this  mys- 
tery :  first  the  form  or  condition  that  the  Lord  took  ;  and  then 
the  obedience  which  he  therein  yielded  to  the  Father.  He  ex- 
plains the  first  to  us  in  these  words  "  that  Jesus  Christ  made 
himself  of  no  reputation,  having  taken  the  form  of  a  servant, 
made  in  the  likeness  of  men,  and  being  found  in  fashion  as 
a  man."  Now  what  he  says,  "that  he  made  himself  of  no 
reputation,"  shows  us  that  all  this  humiliation  of  his  has 
been  a  work  of  his  love,  and  not  of  necessity.  It  was  neither 
the  authority  nor  strength  of  any  opposing  power  that  in- 
duced him  to  make  himself  of  no  reputation.  It  was  his  will 
which  made  him  do  it.  He  bent  not  under  the  efforts  of 
any  other  power  than  that  of  his  own  love.  Then  after- 
wards the  apostle  tells  us  in  what  his  "  emptying  himself" 
properly  consisted,  when  he  adds,  "he  took  upon  him  the 
form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men."  Do 
not  imagiae  that  his  thus  abasing  himself  signifies  that  he  had 
ceased  to  be  God,  or  that  he  despoiled  himself  of  either  his 
immortal  and  immutable  nature,  or  of  any  of  its  properties. 
He  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  not  in  losing  or  quitting 
what  he  had,  but  in  taking  that  which  he  had  not  ;  not  in  ex- 
tinguishing the  glory  of  his  divinity,  but  in  concealing  it  be- 
neath the  veil  of  infirmity.  Furthermore,  this  "form  of  a 
servant"  which  the  Lord  took  is  not  simply  human  nature. 
For  now  that  he  is  in  the  heavens,  in  sovereign  glory,  he 
has  no  longer  this  form  of  a  servant,  whilst  he  still  has, 
and  will  eternally  have,  human  nature.  But  even  as  the  form 
of  God  in  which  he  was  signifies  (as  we  have  before  observed) 
a  divinity  clothed  with  its  glory  ;  so  also  the  form  of  a  ser- 
vant which  he  took  is  a  low,  contemptible,  and  human  nature, 
accompanied  by  all  those  infirmities  which  are  now  found  in 
man's  nature.  It  is  the  same  that  Paul  elsewhere  calls  the 
form  or  "  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,"  Eom.  viii.  3.  And  John 
expresses  the  same  truth  in  other  words,  when  he  says,  "  The 
Word  was  made  flesh,"  John  i.  14  ;  that  is  to  say,  not  man 
simply,  but  weak  man,  despicable  in  appearance,  and  tempted 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  155 

in  all  things,  like  as  we  are,  sin  only  excepted.  Now  a  ser- 
vant or  a  slave  is  not  simply  a  man  ;  for  there  are  many  men 
who  are  not  slaves.  But  it  is  a  man  reduced  to  a  low  and  vile 
condition,  dependent  on  the  will  of  others,  and  living  meanly, 
in  contempt,  without  glory  or  honour  ;  so  that  the  form  of  a 
servant,  besides  the  nature  which  the  Lord  took  upon  himself, 
signifies  still  further  the  state  and  condition  of  that  nature. 
That  which  he  adds,  "  that  being  made  in  the  likeness  of  men, 
and  being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,"  is  only  to  make  the 
same  thing  clear.  For,  in  the  first  place,  in  saying  that  he 
had  "  the  likeness  of  men,"  he  specifies  precisely  what  that 
form  of  a  servant  was,  of  which  he  had  spoken  in  general,  and 
confines  it  to  the  nature  of  men.  The  nature  of  angels  is  very 
excellent,  particularly  above  that  of  animals.  But  though 
this  be  so,  in  comparison  with  that  of  God,  it  must  and  ought 
to  be  called  "  the  form  of  a  servant,"  as  it  really  is,  as  "  angels 
are  ministering  spirits  sent  forth  to  minister,"  Heb.  i.  14.  If, 
then,  the  Lord  had  clothed  himself  with  their  nature,  there  is 
no  doubt  that  it  might  truly  have  been  said  that  he  had  taken 
"  the  form  of  a  servant."  But  the  apostle  shows  us  that  it  is 
not  this  that  he  means,  and  that  he  speaks  of  the  nature  of 
men,  and  not  of  that  of  angels,  when  he  says  that  the  Lord  took 
the  form  of  a  servant,  according  to  the  information  which  he 
elsewhere  expressly  gives  us,  that  "  he  took  not  on  him  the 
nature  of  angels,  but  the  seed  of  Abraham."  Again,  in  saying 
that  he  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men,  he  declares  to  us  the 
manner  in  which  he  has  taken  to  himself  this  poor  and  weak 
nature  with  which  he  clothed  himself,  not  simply  as  a  veil,  or 
a  dress,  or  a  symbol  of  his  presence,  as  he  had  formerly  taken 
exterior  forms,  under  which  he  had  appeared  to  the  prophets, 
without  having  any  union  of  nature  with  them  ;  but  that  he 
united  it  to  himself  personally  in  such  a  way  that  this  flesh, 
in  which  he  manifested  himself,  is  not  foreign  to  him,  but  his 
own.  He  has  not  only  taken  man,  he  is  become  man  ;  he  was 
made  in  the  likeness  of  men  ;  he  was  made  flesh,  as  says  John. 
But  let  none  here  receive  into  their  mind  the  dream  of  some 
ancient  heretics,  that  Paul  took  from  the  Lord  the  truth  and 
substance  of  human  nature,  and  left  him  nothing  but  a  false 
and  vain  appearance,  under  pretence  "  that  he  was  made  in  the 
likeness  of  men,"  and  not  simply  that  he  was  made  man  ;  and 
besides  that,  "being  found  in  fashion  as  a  man,"  and  not 
simply  being  found  man.  For,  in  the  first  place,  it  is  to  reason 
badly,  to  conclude  that  he  has  not  truly  had  our  nature  from 
what  the  apostle  says,  "  that  he  was  made  in  the  likeness  of 
men."  At  this  rate  it  might  be  inferred  that  Seth  was  not 
truly  of  the  same  nature  as  his  father  Adam,  because  Moses 
says  he  was  begotten  in  the  likeness  and  image  of  Adam.  It 
simply  follows  from  this,  that  the  Lord  was  not  those  other 


156  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IX. 

men  in  whose  likeness  he  was  made,  neither  was  Seth  Adam  ; 
but  not  that  he  had  not  truly  a  nature  like  theirs.  The  apos- 
tle really  says  that  the  Lord  had  a  likeness  to  other  men.  But 
he  does  not  say  that  this  likeness  which  he  bore  to  us  has  no 
foundation  but  that  of  a  false  shadow  and  vain  picture  of  our 
flesh,  as  these  people  imagine,  and  not  upon  a  true  aDd  sub- 
stantial nature,  that  he  has  in  common  with  us,  as  scripture 
teaches  us,  saying,  that  Christ  has  partaken  of  flesh  and  blood 
with  us  ;  that  he  was  made  of  a  woman,  of  the  seed  of  David  ; 
that  he  was  made  flesh  ;  that  he  was  like  us  in  all  things,  sin 
excepted.  Secondly,  I  say  that  the  meaning  of  the  apostle  is 
clear,  "  Christ  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men  ;"  that  is  to  say, 
that  in  appearance  there  was  no  difference  between  him  and 
other  men,  that  nature  which  he  took  to  himself  being  so  truly 
ours  in  all  things,  that  to  look  at  that  alone  it  appeared  that 
he  was  only  man,  although  indeed  he  was  also  God.  It  ap- 
pears that  there  was  nothing  particular  in  him,  nothing  ele- 
vated above  others,  though  in  reality  he  had  an  infinity  of  pre- 
rogatives above  other  men. 

In  the  same  manner  the  following  words  must  be  understood, 
"  that  he  was  found  in  fashion  as  a  man."  This  form  of  the 
Lord  is  nothing  else  than  the  situation  and  apparent  condition 
of  his  flesh,  and  of  the  life  which  he  led  ;  all  the  outward  ap- 
pearance of  his  person.  On  beholding  him,  there  would  be 
found  nothing  which  should  distinguish  him  from  other  men, 
and  those  who  only  judged  from  their  outward  senses  would 
have  taken  him  for  a  common  man.  They  would  never  have 
believed  that  under  so  mean,  so  sad,  and  so  poor  a  form,  had 
been  veiled  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  the  King  of  angels  and  of 
men.  It  is  a  form  of  speech  similar  to  what  we  meet  with  in 
the  82nd  Psalm,  where  the  prophet,  speaking  to  the  princes, 
says,  "  You  shall  die  like  men  ;"  that  is  to  say,  as  he  explains 
it  in  another  part  of  the  verse,  "  You  shall  fall  as  one  of  the 
princes  ;"  not  meaning  that  these  great  ones,  to  whom  he  ad- 
dresses this,  were  not  truly  men,  but  simply  to  say  that  their 
quality  should  not  prevent  their  dying  ;  there  being,  in  this  re- 
spect, no  difference  between  them  and  others.  And  Samson, 
in  the  book  of  Judges,  says,  "  If  I  be  bound,  I  shall  be  as  a 
man  ;"  that  is  to  say,  as  another  man  ;  there  will  not  then  be 
any  difference  between  me  and  other  men.  Here,  then,  in  the 
same  way,  when  the  apostle  says,  "  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was 
made  in  the  likeness  of  men,  and  found  in  fashion  as  a  man," 
he  only  means,  that  to  look  at  the  outward  condition  of  the 
life  which  he  led  on  earth,  it  would  be  found,  in  this  respect, 
exactly  like  that  of  others,  and  not  appearing  to  have  any  ad- 
vantage over  them.  And  this  is  what  Isaiah  had  prophesied  so 
many  ages  before  with  extreme  astonishment  :  "He  shall  grow 
up  as  a  tender  plant,  and  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground  :  he  hath 


CHAP.  II.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  157 

no  form  nor  comeliness  ;  and  when  we  shall  see  him,  there  is 
no  beauty  that  we  should  desire  him,"  Isa.  liii.  2.  And  it  is 
this  external  form  in  which  he  was  found  which  has  deceived 
worldly  minds,  and  has  made  them  ask  the  spouse  in  the 
mystical  song,  "  What  is  thy  beloved  more  than  another  be- 
loved, 0  thou  fairest  among  women  ?  what  is  thy  beloved 
more  than  another  beloved,  that  thou  dost  so  charge  us  ?" 
Cant.  v.  9. 

Thus  you  may  henceforth  see  in  what  this  humiliation  of 
our  Lord,  or  making  himself  of  no  reputation,  (for  Paul  gives 
it  both  these  names,)  consists  ;  not  indeed  simply  that  he  has 
taken  to  himself  our  nature,  (for  he  does  not  cease  to  have 
that  now  in  the  heavens,  where  he  is  out  of  his  humiliation, 
in  his  sovereign  glory,)  but  truly  in  this,  that  he  clothed  him- 
self with  feeble  flesh,  frail,  mortal,  and  subject  to  all  the  mean- 
nesses and  indignities  of  earth  ;  a  flesh  which  in  reality  was 
formed  by  the  hand  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  nevertheless  in  the 
womb  of  a  virgin,  of  the  seed  of  David,  and  of  a  mortal  sub- 
stance ;  a  flesh  which  came  into  the  light  of  life  among  the 
lowliness  of  ordinary  births,  which  was  wrapped  in  linen,  and 
nurtured  at  the  breast  ;  which  grew  by  degrees,  and  which  was 
subject  to  cold,  to  heat,  to  rain,  and  to  the  other  injuries  of  the 
atmosphere  ;  to  weariness,  to  hunger,  to  thirst,  to  grief;  which 
required  sleep  and  rest  to  recruit  it  ;  which  had  nothing  great, 
celestial,  or  extraordinary,  either  in  its  form,  its  complexion, 
or  its  appearance.  Add  to  this  the  extreme  poverty  in  which 
he  willingly  passed  his  life,  insomuch  that  he  had  not  where  to 
lay  his  head;  growing  and  dwelling  many  years,  not  in  the 
palaces  of  the  great,  but  in  the  abode  of  a  carpenter,  labouring 
with  his  own  hands  at  a  low  mechanical  trade  ;  and  when  he 
began  the  exercise  of  his  office,  he  was  accompanied,  not  by 
guards,  or  a  number  of  disciples  who  were  of  some  reputation 
in  the  world,  but  by  twelve  fishermen,  as  rough  and  uncouth 
as  possible,  and  teaching  oftenest  in  the  deserts,  on  the  moun- 
tains, or  on  the  solitary  banks  of  lakes.  What  shall  I  say  of 
the  law  of  Moses,  to  all  the  penalties  of  which  he  submitted, 
having  felt  its  yoke  from  his  infancy  when  he  was  circumcised, 
and  having  afterwards  observed  its  ordinances  as  faithfully  as 
if  he  had  been  its  true  and  legitimate  subject  ?  He  yielded  the 
same  respect  to  the  baptism  of  John.  And  besides  these  two 
servants  of  his  Father,  he  submitted  to  Koman  governors,  and 
to  the  orders  of  inferior  magistrates.  He  paid  that  tribute 
which  he  did  not  owe,  and  there  was  no  sort  of  subjection 
or  servitude  through  which  he  did  not  pass.  He  was  ex- 
posed to  the  temptations  of  Satan,  to  the  blasphemies  of  the 
Pharisees,  to  the  insults  and  mockeries  of  the  people,  and 
allowed  himself  to  be  loaded  with  abuse.  He  was  willing 
that  devils  and  men  should  have  free  liberty  to  attack  him, 


158  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   IX. 

opposing  all  their  designs  with  gentleness  and  patience  ; 
whilst  the  last  degree  of  his  humiliation  was  that  cross  of 
which  we  shall  presently  speak.  What  abasement  could 
possibly  have  been  imagined  deeper,  and  more  wonderful, 
than  this,  I  do  not  say  by  men  only,  but  by  all  the  angels 
of  heaven?  From  what  higher  point  of  glory  could  Jesus 
have  descended  to  the  lowest  condition  of  man  ?  The  most 
elevated  among  men  is  but  a  miserable  worm  ;  so  that  had 
the  Lord  taken  to  himself  the  form  and  the  situation  of  the 
most  august  on  the  earth,  this  would  be  to  have  descended 
infinitely  lower  than  to  have  gone  from  the  highest  point  of 
heaven  to  the  centre  of  the  abyss.  Judge  then  what  we 
ought  to  think  or  to  say  now,  when  he  has  clothed  himself 
with  the  form,  not  of  a  king  or  an  emperor,  but  of  a  vassal 
or  a  slave.  This  was  truly  "  to  make  himself  of  no  reputation," 
when  the  Son  of  God  emptied  himself  (thus  speaks  our  apos- 
tle) of  all  that  fulness  of  good  which  dwelt  in  him.  In  that 
form  which  he  took,  there  appeared  no  part  of  that  abundance 
which  he  possessed  in  the  other.  There  is  neither  light,  nor 
strength,  nor  glory,  nor  empire,  nor  majesty  to  be  seen.  From 
almighty,  he  became  very  weak  ;  from  the  most  rich,  the  most 
poor  ;  from  the  Lord  of  angels,  the  servant  of  men  ;  from  the 
glory  of  the  world,  the  reproach  and  sport  of  the  most 
wretched.  He  dwelt  above  the  heavens  from  eternity  to  eter- 
nity, without  beginning  and  without  end  ;  and  here  we  see 
that  he  was  born  in  a  manger,  and  died  on  a  cross.  There  he 
was  worshipped  by  angels  ;  here  he  was  scourged  and  nailed 
to  the  tree  by  executioners  :  there  he  walked  on  the  heavens, 
and  trod  the  empires  of  the  world  under  his  feet  ;  here  he  ap- 
peared before  the  servant  of  Tiberius,  and  waited  from  the 
mouth  of  this  earth-worm  the  sentence  of  life  or  death  :  there 
he  controlled  the  elements,  the  seasons,  and  time  ;  here  he 
lived  under  their  rule,  and  bore  their  confusion  :  there  he  sup- 
ported plants  and  animals  ;  here  he  required  their  nourishment 
and  their  flesh  for  his  food  :  there  he  enjoyed  a  most  pure  and 
ineffable  beatitude  ;  here  he  had  but  gall  and  tears  to  drink. 
And  do  not  tell  me  that  it  is  the  flesh  of  the  Lord  that  has 
suffered  all  these  indignities,  and  that  his  divinity  neverthe- 
less preserved  all  its  riches  and  glory,  without  either  the  rage 
of  the  devils,  or  the  insolence  and  barbarity  of  the  Jews, 
having  taken  from  him  the  smallest  part  of  it.  I  agree,  and 
I  willingly  confess,  that  nothing  happened  to  his  divine  na- 
ture, neither  can  there  occur  to  it  any  alteration  or  shadow  of 
change  ;  but  this  other  form  that  he  took  to  himself  belonged 
to  him  so  completely,  that  all  he  did  and  all  he  suffered  was  truly 
his  own.  This  man,  the  son  of  Mary,  who  has  borne  all  our  in- 
firmities, is  no  other  than  the  eternal  Son  of  God.  Both  of  these 
natures,  so  different  from  each  other,  were  united  in  one  sub- 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  159 

stance  and  made  but  one  person,  as  the  soul  and  body  make 
but  one  man.  It  is  one  and  the  same  Jesus  who  was  in  the 
form  of  God,  and  who  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant. 
Since  then  you  acknowledge  that  this  form  of  a  servant  was 
extremely  humbled  and  stripped  of  glory  and  strength,  neither 
can  you  deny  that  the  Son  of  God  was  made  of  no  reputation  ; 
whatever  belongs  to  either  the  one  or  the  other  of  these  two 
forms  belonged  to  him  equally,  though  in  different  aspects. 
Thus  it  must  be  added,  that  though  no  alteration  could  occur 
in  the  divine  nature  of  the  Lord,  still  the  infirmity  of  his  flesh 
hid  its  splendor;  as  when  the  body  of  the  moon  or  a  thick 
cloud  passes  before  the  sun,  its  light  is  not  extinguished,  but 
hidden  from  our  eyes  ;  and  if  it  neither  become  paler  nor  less 
beautiful,  our  senses  nevertheless  feel  a  difficulty  in  judging  of 
it  otherwise  than  as  it  appears  to  them  ;  hence  we  say  that  it 
is  eclipsed. 

But  I  come  to  the  second  and  last  part  of  the  Lord's  humil- 
iation, namely,  his  obedience:  "He  was  obedient  unto  death, 
even  the  death  of  the  cross."  From  which  we  first  learn,  that 
true  humility  consists  in  abasing  ourselves  in  the  things  that 
God  ordains,  and  into  which  he  leads  us  by  his  will,  either  by 
the  commandments  of  his  word,  or  by  the  dispensation  of  his 
providence,  in  such  a  way  that  we  can  truly  say  that  our  hu- 
mility has  been  obedience.  This  must  be  remarked,  contrary 
to  that  superstition  which  cuts  out  for  itself  the  matter  of  its 
humility,  placing  it  in  voluntary  devotions,  (will  worship,)  as 
Paul  calls  them  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  ii.  28,  which 
God  does  not  require  at  our  hands.  These  have  some  appear- 
ance of  wisdom  and  humility,  but  in  reality  are  but  presump- 
tion and  pride.  For  it  is  to  be  wiser  than  God,  and  covertly 
to  disparage  his  institutions  and  rules,  as  if  they  were  not  suf- 
ficient to  lead  us  to  salvation.  Add  to  which,  it  is  to  fail  in 
the  principal  point  of  humility,  which  is  to  renounce  our  own 
will,  and  to  submit  entirely  to  that  of  God.  The  Lord  Jesus 
did  not  act  thus.  Although  he  was  the  sovereign  wisdom, 
nevertheless  he  did  nothing  of  himself.  He  followed  the  will 
of  his  Father  in  all  his  paths.  His  whole  humiliation  was  but 
one  constant  and  perpetual  obedience.  Secondly,  we  must  re- 
strict this  obedience  to  the  subject  of  which  the  apostle  speaks, 
namely,  to  that  which  relates  to  the  no  reputation  of  the  Lord. 
For  as  to  holiness,  which  consists  in  love  to  God  and  our 
neighbour,  it  is  indeed  an  obedience,  seeing  that  it  is  in  con- 
formity to  the  will  of  God;  but  that  was  not  a  part  of  the  hu- 
miliation of  the  Lord.  Nevertheless,  it  is  in  that  that  its 
chief  excellency  consists  ;  there  being  nothing  more  beautiful 
nor  more  divine  in  rational  nature  than  holiness.  Thus  you 
see  that  it  makes  in  heaven  (where  abasement  has  no  place)  the 
chief  part  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  and  of  his  saints.     "What 


160  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  IX. 

then  is  precisely  the  obedience  which  is  here  spoken  of?  It 
is  that  which  Jesus  Christ  yielded  to  the  Father  in  all  things 
which  properly  and  necessarily  belong  to  the  satisfaction  for 
our  sins,  and  his  office  of  Mediator,  and  what  relates  to  it  ; 
such  was  his  subjection  to  the  Mosaic  law,  and  all  the  suffer- 
ings by  which  he  was  consecrated.  For  of  himself,  and  by 
reason  of  his  nature,  he  was  not  obliged  to  it.  But  he  sub- 
mitted to  it  by  the  will  of  the  Father,  to  execute  the  commis- 
sion which  he  had  given  him,  to  save  the  human  race.  And 
the  apostle,  to  lead  us  to  it,  names  here  expressly  the  last  and 
chief  of  these  things,  that  is  to  say,  the  death  of  the  Lord. 
"  He  was  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross." 
For  the  word  "unto"  is  used  in  this  place  to  signify,  not  the 
continuation  of  the  time  to  which  the  Saviour  was  obedient, 
even  to  its  termination,  but  the  end  of  the  things  in  which  he 
was  obedient,  even  to  the  greatest  and  most  difficult  of  all,  and 
to  which  all  the  others, related  as  to  their  true  end.  Hence,  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  the  apostle  takes  the  obedience 
which  the  Lord  yielded  to  the  will  of  God,  saying,  "  Behold, 
I  come  to  do  thy  will,  O  God!"  he  takes  it,  I  say,  for  the  obla- 
tion of  his  body,  offered  and  sacrificed  on  the  cross  for  the 
redemption  of  the  world.  Jesus  Christ  then  has  not  only  been 
obedient  in  suffering  patiently,  according  to  the  will  of  his 
Father,  all  the  inconveniences  and  miseries  of  this  life, 
poverty,  contempt,  grief,  persecution,  and  such  like,  however 
unworthy  they  were  of  him  and  of  his  nature;  but  he  was 
obedient  even  unto  death.  To  fulfil  the  commands  of  the  Fa- 
ther, the  Prince  of  life  and  immortality  has  not  refused  death, 
that  thing  which  in  the  world  appeared  most  contrary  to  his 
dignity  and  his  nature.  He  has  bound  all  the  feelings  of  his 
flesh  which  resisted  it,  and  brought  them  into  captivity  to  the 
will  of  God.  "  Father,  if  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass 
from  me  :  nevertheless,  not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done,"  Matt. 
xxvi.  59. 

But  the  apostle,  to  enhance  the  value  and  the  wonder  of 
this  humble  obedience  of  the  Lord  to  its  highest  degree,  re- 
marks particularly  what  the  death  was  which  he  suffered: 
"  He  was  obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross." 
There  is  no  kind  of  death  which  would  not  have  offended  the 
dignity  and  the  nature  of  the  innocent  and  most  holy  Lord, 
the  resurrection  and  the  life,  the  author  of  immortality,  the 
Father  of  eternity,  made  a  quickening  Spirit,  and  not,  like  the 
first  Adam,  a  living  soul.  But  among  the  various  kinds  of 
death,  none  could  be  more  unworthy  of  this  sovereign  Lord 
than  the  death  of  the  cross  ;  the  most  shameful,  infamous,  and 
painful  punishment  then  in  use  among  men,  which  had  this  pecu- 
liar to  it,  that  it  was  expressly  cursed  of  God  in  his  law.  The 
disgrace  of  men  was  found  joined  to  the  execration  of  God, 


CHAP.   II.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO    THE   PHILIPPIANS.  161 

and  the  greatest  shame  to  the  most  extreme  torment.  And 
nevertheless,  O  ineffable,  O  adorable  and  incomprehensible 
humility  !  Jesus,  the  eternal  Son  of  the  Father,  humbled  him- 
self even  to  this!  The  Lord  of  the  world  endured  the  punish- 
ment of  slaves.  The  King  of  glory  submitted  to  the  extremest 
disgrace.  The  Holy  of  holies  received  the  wages  and  the  treat- 
ment of  the  most  infamous  malefactors.  The  well-beloved  of 
his  Father  was  voluntarily  made  a  curse.  Dear  brethren,  this 
obedience  is  so  great,  and  elevated  so  much  above  our  minds, 
that  we  neither  know  how  to  express  it  nor  to  celebrate  it 
otherwise  than  by  silence  and  astonishment.  What  then  re- 
mains for  us,  ravished  and,  as  it  were,  swallowed  up  by  so 
high  and  so  strange  a  wonder,  but  to  prostrate  ourselves  in 
deep  devotion  before  this  crucified  Saviour?  and,  touched  to 
the  very  bottom  of  our  hearts  by  so  admirable  an  example, 
we  should  cast  down  before  his  cross  all  that  is  haughty  in 
our  nature,  there  faithfully  strip  ourselves  of  our  vanity  and 
presumption,  our  hatred,  envy,  and  every  similar  passion,  the 
true  productions  and  offspring  of  pride.  Let  us  there  offer  to 
him  our  courage  and  our  interest,  and  let  us  have  nothing 
either  so  agreeable  to  us  that  we  do  not  count  it  dross,  nor  so  re- 
pugnant to  our  nature  that  we  would  not  cheerfully  bear  it, 
whenever  his  will  and  the  good  of  our  neighbour  may  re- 
quire it. 

Proud  man  !  does  not  this  humiliation  of  the  Lord  mortify 
your  vanity?  He,  who  was  the  King  of  glory,  abased  himself 
below  the  lowest  of  men.  You,  who  are  but  a  worm  of  earth, 
you  elevate  yourself  above  the  greatest.  He  did  not  make  a 
triumph  of  being  equal  to  God;  and  a  little  spark  of  mind,  a 
handful  of  dust,  a  shadow,  a  dream,  a  nothing  inflames  your 
heart.  Being  in  the  form  of  God,  he  did  not  disdain  to  take 
that  of  man  ;  yet  a  little  land,  or  some  trivial  worldly  advan- 
tage which  you  think  you  possess,  renders  you  insolent  to- 
wards God.  He  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and  stripped 
himself  of  heavenly  majesty  and  glory,  to  save  men  ;  and  you 
make  a  difficulty,  not  for  their  edification  alone,  but  for  your 
own  salvation,  to  rid  yourself,  not  of  some  advantage  that  you 
have  over  them,  (for  in  truth  you  have  none,  and  if  you  would 
dispassionately  weigh  yourself,  you  would  find  that  you  were 
either  below  others,  or  at  best  their  equal,)  but  simply  of  an 
empty  and  false  opinion  which  you  have  of  your  excellence. 
Christ,  to  obey  his  Father,  quitted  heaven,  and  the  glory  that 
he  enjoyed  there;  and  you  are  not  willing  for  his  service  to 
yield  the  slightest  of  your  advantages.  He  has  suffered,  for 
love  of  you,  poverty  and  shame,  death  and  the  cross,  all  things 
unworthy  of  him,  and  entirely  estranged  from  his  nature  ;  and 
you  are  not  willing  for  his  name's  sake  to  endure  the  least  dis- 
grace and  pain  to  which  our  sin  and  the  constitution  of  our 
ilesh  subject  all  men. 

21 


162  AN   EXPOSITION  OF  [SEEM.  IX. 

But  this  obedience  of  the  Lord  ought  not  only  to  confound 
pride,  it  ought  to  extinguish  all  our  vices.  Sensualist!  how 
is  it  that  you  are  not  ashamed  to  pass  your  life  in  pleasure, 
seeing  that  your  Master  began  and  finished  his  in  perpetual 
suffering?  He  quitted  the  joys  of  heaven  for  your  salvation. 
How  is  it  that  you  do  not  renounce  the  pleasures  of  the  earth 
for  his  glory?  Miser!  how  is  it  that  you  adore  that  which 
your  Lord  despised?  How  is  it  that  you  are  sparing  of  a  few 
pence  for  Him  who,  leaving  for  your  sake  treasures  and  riches 
inestimable,  made  himself  poor  that  you  might  be  rich  ?  Sin- 
ner! whoever  you  may  be,  how  do  you  dare  to  violate  the  will 
of  God,  after  the  example  of  the  obedience  which  the  Lord 
Jesus  yielded  to  him?  He  neither  owed  these  sufferings,  or 
this  death  to  which  he  submitted  himself  by  the  will  of  the 
Father  ;  whereas  the  holiness  which  he  requires  of  you  is  a 
duty  to  which  all  sorts  of  reasons  oblige  you.  His  obedience 
was  in  no  wise  necessary  to  his  happiness;  without  that 
which  he  demands  from  you,  you  cannot  but  be  very  misera- 
ble. Your  obedience  is  useless  to  him,  but  it  is  truly  useful 
to  you.  His  was  necessary  for  you,  and  it  is  for  your  sake 
alone  that  he  performed  it. 

And  this  consideration,  my  brethren,  ought  further  to 
recommend  to  us  the  love  and  imitation  of  the  obedience  of 
the  Lord  more  than  all  the  rest,  that  it  is  love  alone  towards 
us  which  has  been  its  cause.  It  is  for  us  that  he  took  the 
form  of  a  servant.  It  is  for  us  that  he  made  himself  of  no 
reputation,  and  hid  for  a  time  his  form  of  God.  It  is  for  us 
that  he  was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men,  and  was  found  in 
fashion  as  a  man.  It  is  for  us  that  he  was  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.  All  this  admirable  humil- 
iation was  the  effect  of  the  love  that  he  bore  us,  and  the  cause 
of  our  salvation  and  of  our  glory.  Let  us  then  love  him, 
dear  brethren,  since  he  has  so  loved  us  ;  let  us  serve  him,  since 
he  has  redeemed  us.  Let  us  do  nothing  but  for  him,  since  he 
has  done  so  much  for  us.  It  is  the  road  in  which  we  must 
walk,  marked  with  his  blood,  with  his  example,  and  with  his 
steps,  to  arrive  at  that  heavenly  kingdom  to  which  the  Father 
has  raised  him,  and  where  he  has  prepared  our  eternal  mansion, 
to  the  end,  that  after  the  likeness  of  his  humiliation,  his  suffer- 
ings, his  cross,  and  his  obedience,  we  may  also  for  ever  be  like 
him  in  his  glory  and  felicity.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  28>th  Oct.,  1640. 


CHAP.    II.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  163 

SERMON  X. 

VERSES  9 — 11. 

Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a 
name  which  is  above  every  name:  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus 
every  knee  should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth, 
and  things  under  the  earth:  and  that  every  tongue  should  con- 
fess that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father. 

The  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  under  which  we  live, 
my  brethren,  has  great  advantages  over  the  law  of  Moses,  un- 
der which  the  ancient  believers  lived  ;  and  this  among  others, 
that  it  explains  to  us,  much  more  clearly,  all  those  mysteries 
the  knowledge  of  which  is  needful  to  our  salvation.  Not  to 
speak  of  other  advantages,  whilst  the  law  of  Moses  only  disco- 
vered to  the  Israelites,  obscurely  and  imperfectly,  the  evil  of 
sin,  and  the  excellence  of  holiness,  two  most  important  things 
to  draw  us  from  evil  and  to  unite  us  to  good,  the  gospel  has 
made  them  both  perfectly  clear.  Moses  most  frequently  re- 
presented the  punishments  of  sin  and  the  rewards  of  holiness, 
the  two  most  touching  arguments  of  their  kind,  only  Tinder 
the  veils  and  in  the  form  of  divers  earthly  maledictions  and 
blessings.  But  the  gospel  says  to  us  openly  and  expressly, 
that  the  punishment  which  sin  deserves  is  eternal  death,  and 
that  the  reward  prepared  for  holiness  is  a  glorious  and  immor- 
tal life.  To  which  we  must  add,  that  the  examples  by  which 
the  gospel  has  confirmed,  and  as  it  were  sealed,  this  truth,  are 
much  more  lively  and  efficacious  than  those  of  the  law.  For 
what  clearer  and  more  convincing  testimony  to  the  evil  of  sin 
can  we  ever  have  than  that  which  the  gospel  presents  to  us  in 
the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ,  where  we  see  the  only  Son  of  God, 
and  the  Lord  of  glory,  suffering  a  most  cruel  and  ignominious 
death  for  the  expiation  of  our  crimes?  And  as  to  holiness, 
what  clearer  demonstration  of  its  excellence  can  we  desire  than 
his  exaltation,  receiving,  as  the  price  of  his  obedience,  at  the  end 
of  his  bitter  sufferings,  a  heavenly  life,  an  empire,  and  a  glory  in 
every  respect  equal  to  that  of  the  Father?  In  truth,  if  our  souls 
were  pure  and  sincere,  we  should  not  have  need  of  these  spurs  to 
urge  us  to  the  study  of  holiness.  The  beauty  alone  of  the  duties 
in  which  it  consists  should  suffice  to  make  us  love  it,  and  require 
but  to  propose  them  to  us  to  insure  our  acceptance.  But  this 
flesh  with  which  we  are  clothed,  filling  our  understandings 
with  darkness,  and  our  affections  with  weakness  and  languor, 
the  Lord  and  his  ministers,  to  excite  us,  take  occasion  conti- 
nually to  place  before  our  eyes  the  glory  and  happiness  with 


164:  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.  X. 

which  he  will  one  day  crown  our  obedience,  if  we  will  but 
walk  in  his  paths.  It  is  with  this  design  that  the  apostle  now 
proposes  to  us  the  exaltation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
end  of  his  humiliation,  that  from  his  example,  as  a  true  and 
certain  pattern  of  our  destiny,  we  should  conceive  an  assured 
hope  of  a  glory  similar  to  his,  which  would  make  us  cheer- 
fully imitate  the  humility,  and  the  love,  and  all  the  other 
graces  from  which  he  has  gathered  such  precious  fruits.  If 
you  remember,  he  described  to  us  in  the  preceding  text  the 
extreme  abasement  of  the  Lord,  who,  being  in  the  form  of 
God,  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  humbled  him- 
self, even  to  the  death  of  the  cross.  If  there  were  nothing  else, 
this  ought  always  to  be  sufficient  to  force  us  to  humility,  it 
being  clear  that  the  example  of  such  a  Lord  ought  to  be  the 
law  of  our  life.  But  there  is  yet  more.  Besides  the  glory 
which  will  accrue  to  us  from  our  conformity  to  him,  humility 
will  still  be  very  useful  to  us.  Instead  of  an  empty  honour 
that  we  ought  to  have  despised  to  obey  him,  it  will  bring  us 
another,  solid  and  eternal.  God,  the  sovereign  Judge  of  the 
world,  will  take  care  not  to  leave  for  ever  in  meanness  and  suf- 
fering that  grace  which,  of  all  the  graces,  he  loves  the  best. 
He  has  shown  us  in  Jesus  Christ  the  account  that  he  makes  of 
humility  and  of  obedience,  and  the  reward  that  he  has  pre- 
pared for  them  ;  when,  at  his  rising  from  the  tomb,  into  which 
he  had  voluntarily  descended,  he  gave  him  all  his  dominion, 
and  all  his  glory:  "Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted 
him,  and  given  him  a  name  which  is  above  every  name."  This 
gift  is  the  reward  of  his  abasement,  and  of  his  obedience.  He 
afterwards  adds  the  effect  and  acquisition  of  this  gift,  the  better 
to  represent  to  us  the  grandeur  and  magnificence,  that  is  to  say, 
the  homage,  subjection,  and  adoration,  which  all  creatures  in 
the  universe  owe  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  on  account  of  this  dignity 
to  which  the  Father  has  raised  him.  He  explains  it  in  these 
words  :  "That  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of 
things  in  heaveo,  and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the 
earth  ;  and  that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father."  Thus  we  have  two 
points  on  which,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  treat  in  this  discourse: 
the  one  contained  in  the  first  verse  of  our  text,  the  dignity  to 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  has  been  elevated  ;  the  other  explained 
in  the  two  following  verses,  the  privileges  of  this  dignitj^,  that 
is  to  say,  the  homage  and  the  subjection  which  all  creatures 
owe  him. 

I.  For  the  first  point,  that  we  may  clearly  understand  what 
the  apostle  says,  we  must  primarily  consider  the  relation  which 
the  Lord's  exaltation  bears  to  his  voluntary  humiliation  ;  and, 
in  the  second  place,  what  this  exaltation  is,  and  in  what  it  con- 
sists.    Paul  instructs  us  in  the  first  word,  when,  after  having 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  165 

spoken  of  the  abasement  and  obedience  of  Jesus  Christ,  he 
immediately  adds  in  this  verse,  "  Wherefore,"  or,  as  it  is  trans- 
lated in  our  Bibles,  "  For  which  cause  God  also  hath  highly- 
exalted  him  ;"  clearly  signifying,  that  it  is  in  consequence  of,  on 
occasion  of,  and  because  of  his  preceding  humiliation  that  he 
was  exalted.  In  which  you  see  he  takes  two  things  for 
granted  :  the  one,  that  the  order  of  the  two  parts  of  the  media- 
tion of  the  Lord  is  such,  that  he  must  first  be  abased,  and  then 
exalted.  The  other,  that  the  abasement  was  the  reason,  or,  as 
they  say  in  the  schools,  the  moral  cause  of  his  exaltation.  As- 
suredly it  is  an  order  that  we  see  established  in  almost  all  parts 
of  nature,  that  things  pass  through  a  low  estate  before  attain- 
ing perfection  and  excellence.  And  what  is  usual  in  nature 
has  been  particularly  needful  in  the  mediation  of  Jesus  Christ. 
For  being  in  himself  originally  in  the  form  of  God,  it  was  not 
possible  that  he  should  be  exalted  and  have  any  higher  dignity 
than  that,  if  he  had  not  first  descended  from  that  weight  of  glory 
and  abased  himself  that  he  might  afterwards  be  exalted.  It 
was  thus  also  that  the  Father  had  ordained  in  his  eternal 
counsel,  and  had  so  declared  it  in  the  times  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment by  the  mouth  of  his  prophets  ;  who,  as  Peter  declares, 
(1  Pet.  i.  10,)  have  in  many  places  predicted  the  sufferings 
which  should  happen  to  Christ,  and  the  glory  which  should 
follow.  Thence  it  is  we  read,  in  Luke  xxiv.  26,  that  the  Lord, 
speaking  of  his  cross,  said  to  the  two  disciples  who  were  going 
to  Emmaus,  "  Ought  not  Christ  to  have  suffered  these  things, 
and  to  enter  into  his  glory  ?"  which  also  he  afterwards  proved 
to  them  by  the  scriptures  ;  from  which,  you  see,  that  he  takes 
this  order  for  granted,  as  necessary  and  immutable,  that  suffer- 
ing should  precede  glory.  But  the  reason  of  his  office  did  not  less 
oblige  him  to  this  order  than  the  decrees  and  oracles  of  the 
Father.  For  his  design  was  to  open  to  us  the  sanctuary  of  God, 
and  to  lead  us  to  the  throne  of  his  grace.  Now  sin,  of  which 
we  are  all  guilty,  shutting  against  us  the  entrance  of  the  house 
of  God,  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  he  should  begin  by 
expiating  our  crimes,  which  he  could  no  otherwise  accomplish 
than  by  his  death  ;  that  is  to  say,  by  his  humiliation.  The  de- 
sign which  he  also  had  of  forming  for  us  a  pattern  of  patience, 
of  humility,  and  of  the  other  virtues  necessary  for  obtaining 
salvation  by  the  way  of  affliction,  required  it  ;  examples  which 
he  could  only  give  by  suffering.  And  the  apostle  teaches  this 
in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  saying,  "  that  it  became  him  for 
whom  are  all  things,  and  by  whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing 
many  sons  unto  glory,  to  make  the  Captain  of  their  salvation 
perfect  through  sufferings."  This  order  then  being  thus  es- 
tablished, and  taken  for  granted  in  the  will  of  God,  as  becom- 
ing his  wisdom  and  the  nature  of  the  things  themselves,  that 
the  Christ  should  suffer  first,  and  then  be  glorified  ;  it  is  evi- 


166  •  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  X. 

dent  that  these  sufferings  once  completed,  it  was  needful  that 
he  should  in  consequence  be  exalted  to  glory,  even  though  in 
other  respects  his  abasement  should  not  have  contributed  to 
his  glorification.  As  you  see  in  the  order  of  this  world,  that 
nature,  after  having  suffered  the  colds  of  winter,  is  afterwards 
comforted  by  the  softness  of  spring,  and  that,  summer  ended, 
the  autumn  necessarily  follows  ;  though  no  one  of  these  sea- 
sons is,  truly  speaking,  the  cause  of  that  which  follows  it,  these 
being  nothing  in  themselves  but  a  simple  dependence  of  order. 
Formerly,  the  Lord  transporting  his  people  to  Babylon,  re- 
solved, at  the  same  time,  to  bring  them  thence  at  the  end  of 
seventy  years,  and  foretold  it  by  Jeremiah.  This  same  order  being 
fixed,  who  does  not  observe  that  we  may  say,  that  Israel  com- 
pleted the  seventy  years  of  her  captivity,  and  this  was  the 
reason  that  the  Lord  brought  them  back  into  Judea  by  the 
command  of  Cyrus  ?  In  the  same  manner  the  apostle  says  in 
this  place,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  having  been  obedient  unto  death, 
God  has,  for  this  reason,  highly  exalted  him.  Nevertheless,  I 
do  not  deny,  that  between  the  abasement  and  exaltation  of 
Jesus  Christ  there  may  be  something  more  than  a  simple  con- 
sequence and  order  of  dependence.  I  willingly  admit  that  his 
glory  was  the  fruit  of  his  cross,  and  his  exaltation  the  effect  of 
his  humiliation.  It  seems,  in  this  place,  as  if  the  apostle  looked 
principally  to  that.  For  he  wishes  to  recommend  humility  to 
us,  and  to  make  us  love  it  ;  and  it  was  right  thus  to  propose 
to  us  the  advantages  which  the  Lord  Jesus  has  derived  from 
his,  and  to  show  us  that  it  contributed  to  his  glory,  that  it  was 
its  cause  and  foundation.  Christ  "humbled  himself,  and  be- 
came obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross  ;  therefore 
God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him  ;"  that  is  to  say,  that  the 
Father  had  respect  to  his  humiliation  and  obedience  when  he 
crowned  him  with  glory,  and  that  this  high  dignity  in  which 
he  has  established  him  is  the  reward  of  his  obedience.  For, 
in  the  first  place,  the  Father  had  promised  the  Son  the  empire 
of  the  universe,  and  a  sovereign  glory,  after  the  conflicts  and 
the  sufferings  of  his  office.  Christ,  then,  having  punctually 
acquitted  himself  in  it,  having  humbly  and  constantly  suffered 
all  the  things  that  the  Father  required  of  him  for  the  satisfac- 
tion of  his  justice,  and  for  the  redemption  of  the  world,  we 
must  perceive  that  his  own  truth  obliged  him  to  exalt  him  into 
the  promised  glory  ;  and  that  in  consideration  of  his  death, 
and  of  his  sufferings  which  preceded  it,  all  this  grandeur  and 
dignity  were  given  him. 

But  suppose  that  the  Father  had  not  obliged  himself  to 
this  reward  by  his  promises  ;  I  say,  that  even  in  that  case  the 
excellence  of  the  obedience  of  the  Son,  and  the  wonder  of  his 
humility,  could  not  but  have  touched  him,  and  drawn  from  his 
pure  goodness  this  same  reward  which  he  has  given  him  in 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  167 

virtue  of  his  promises.  For  God,  by  his  nature,  being  infi- 
nitely good,  it  is  impossible  that  he  should  not  love  holiness, 
and  that  it  should  not  be  agreeable  to  him  in  proportion  as  he 
sees  it  shining  with  goodness.  And  his  powder  not  being  less 
infinite  than  his  goodness,  it  is  also  impossible  that  he  should 
not  do  good  to  him  who  pleases  him,  that  he  should  not  draw 
him  out  of  his  misery,  and  shed  his  blessing  upon  him.  Now 
the  obedience  that  Jesus  Christ  rendered  him  in  all  his  abase- 
ment is  the  work  of  the  most  exquisite  and  complete  holiness 
that  can  be  imagined  ;  in  which  there  was  seen  to  shine  the 
greatest  charity  towards  men,  a  sovereign  love  towards  God, 
and,  in  a  word,  an  altogether  divine  goodness  similar  to  his 
own.  Assuredly  it  was  not  then  possible  that,  seeing  in  this 
humiliation  of  his  Son  so  perfect  an  image  of  his  holiness,  he 
should  not  look  upon  it  with  an  eye  of  content,  embrace  it  with 
sovereign  affection,  as  the  most  beautiful  and  most  admirable 
thing  in  the  world,  in  which  he  found  his  own  good  .pleasure, 
and  all  that  he  most  loved  ;  and  it  was  equally  impossible  but  that 
afterwards  he  should  extend  his  munificence  towards  a  subject 
who  was  so  perfectly  agreeable  to  him.  crowning  him  with 
everything  that  was  highest  and  most  heavenly  in  the  treasures 
of  his  glory,  as  he  found  in  him  all  that  was  most  holy  and 
most  conformed  to  his  will.  He  could  not,  without  giving  up 
the  laws  of  his  own  goodness  and  beneficence,  and  without,  in 
some  degree,  denying  himself,  leave  such  perfect  holiness,  I 
will  not  say,  in  misery  or  in  meanness,  but  even  in  the  rank  of 
the  happiest  of  created  beings.  As  the  obedience  of  the  Son 
was  above  all  the  holiness  of  earth  or  heaven,  so  also  must  his 
recompence  be  above  all  their  glory.  This  is  enough,  in  my 
opinion,  my  brethren,  to  show  us  how  the  Father  has  exalted 
Jesus  Christ  because  of  his  humiliation.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
carry  the  inquiry  further,  and  to  dispute  with  some  whether 
the  Lord  deserved  the  glory  to  which  he  is  exalted.  This 
question  is  one  of  the  fruits  of  the  boldness  and  curiosity  of 
the  human  mind,  on  which  we  should  wish  rather  to  be  silent 
than  to  speak,  if  it  were  not  that  the  adversaries  of  our  com- 
munion force  us  to  act  otherwise  ;  not  contenting  themselves 
with  positively  declaring  that  Jesus  Christ  by  his  sufferings 
merited  that  glory  for  himself  which  he  enjoys,  but  they  pre- 
tend further  to  conclude  from  thence,  that  believers  also  merit 
that  blessed  immortality  which  God  will  give  them  one  day  in 
heaven  ;  by  these  means  rendering  his  merit  either  less  neces- 
sary or  less  useful  and  efficacious  to  us.  To  stop,  then,  so  un- 
just and  dangerous  a  pretence,  I  will  first  say,  that  what  they 
take  for  granted,  that  Jesus  Christ  merited  for  himself  that 
glory  to  which  he  has  been  exalted,  cannot  be  proved  by  scrip- 
ture, in  which  all  the  merit  of  the  abasement  of  the  Lord  is 
constantly  referred  to  the  salvation  of  the  church,  and  to  the 


168  AN    EXPOSITION    OF  [SEEM.   X. 

redemption  of  the  world,  and  that  we  are  no  where  told  that 
in  obeying  of  the  Father  he  has  merited  for  himself  the  sover- 
eign and  infinite  dignity  which  he  now  enjoys.  He  did  not 
need  this  title  to  acquire  it.  He  possessed  it  as  the  well-be- 
loved of  the  Father,  as  the  Mediator  and  Head  of  the  church. 
What  he  has  merited  is  the  remission  of  our  crimes,  the  re- 
demption of  the  world,  and  the  right  of  our  immortality,  the 
true  and  real  price  of  his  sacrifice.  And  as  to  this  passage, 
and  many  similar  ones,  what  we  have  said  will  suffice  to  show, 
that  they  rightly  take  for  granted  that  God  had  regard  to  the 
obedience  which  was  rendered  to  him  by  Jesus  Christ,  when  he 
exalted  him  to  glory  ;  but  we  may  not  deduce  from  this  that 
he  merited  this  glory.  They  truly  show  that  God  has  had  re- 
gard to  it  in  his  goodness,  and  in  his  truth;  but  they  do  not 
prove  that  he  had  regard  to  it  in  his  justice,  in  such  a  way  as 
that  he  could  not  have  given  him  less  without  being  unjust. 
We  say  every  day  of  Peter  and  Paul,  of  the  good  thief,  of  Mary 
Magdalene,  and  of  every  repentant  sinner,  that  they  have  be- 
lieved and  repented  of  their  sins;  and  that  for  that  reason  God 
has  pardoned  and  justified  them  ;  and  yet  none  conclude  from 
thence  that  the  faith  or  the  repentance  merited  pardon  and  jus- 
tification. Those  against  whom  we  are  disputing  confess  that 
these  first  graces  of  God  are  purely  gratuitous,  and  not  mer- 
ited by  men.  They  cannot  then  conclude  that  Jesus  Christ 
merited  his  glory  from  what  the  apostle  here  says,  that  he  was 
exalted  because  he  had  been  abased  and  obedient.  I  say  the 
same  of  what  the  psalmist  sings,  "  He  shall  drink  of  the  brook 
by  the  way,  therefore  shall  he  lift  up  the  head,"  Psal.  ex.  7  ; 
in  which  he  only  shows  the  order  of  th'ese  two  parts  of  the 
mediation  of  the  Lord,  disposed  so  by  the  will  of  the  Father, 
and  the  reason  of  the  things  themselves,  that  after  having  suf- 
fered and  fought,  he  should  afterwards  triumph  and  reign. 
And  this  is  precisely  the  meaning  of  the  passage  in  Luke, 
which  we  have  already  spoken  of  above,  where  the  Lord  says 
"that  Christ  ought  to  have  suffered,  and  to  enter  into  his  glory." 
And  we  must  also  take  that  which  is  declared  in  the  Epistle  to 
the  Hebrews,  "  We  see  Jesus  crowned  with  glory  and  honour 
by  reason  of  his  suffering  and  death,"  in  the  same  way  as  this 
text  of  the  apostle,  if  we  must  thus  read  the  passage,  and  not 
rather  as  it  has  been  more  flowingly  translated  in  our  Bibles, 
and  certainly  much  more  clearly  ;  "  We  see  Jesus  crowned 
with  glory  and  honour,  him  who  was  made  for  a  little  time 
lower  than  the  angels,  by  suffering  and  death."  Thus  the 
scripture  not  defining  this  question,  it  ought  either  not 
to  be  agitated  at  all,  (perhaps  the  better  course,)  or  to  be 
argued  soberly  and  modestly,  without  offending  any  one  in  a 
thing  so  obscure.  But  I  say,  in  the  second  place,  that  even  if 
it  were  plain  and  certain  by  the  scripture  that  Jesus  Christ 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  169 

could  have  merited  for  himself,  it  would,  from  thence,  by  no 
means  follow  that  each  believer  could  merit  for  himself,  there 
being  too  great  and  evident  a  difference  between  the  obedience 
of  Christ  and  that  of  believers  to  argue  from  one  to  the  other. 
For,  in  the  first  place,  his  is  complete  in  all  points  ;  whereas 
ours  is  soiled  with  many  defects  :  and,  secondly,  his  was  such, 
that  by  right  and  nature  he  was  not  obliged  to  humble  himself 
as  he  did  ;  whereas  we  are  obliged  by  every  kind  of  right  to 
the  things  which  we  do  and  suffer.  He  could,  without  rob- 
bery, have  remained  in  the  form  of  God  ;  and  we  could  not, 
without  injustice,  retain  the  glory  and  the  vanity  which  hu- 
mility takes  from  us  ;  whereby  it  is  evident  that  his-  obedience 
might  have  been  meritorious  for  him,  whilst  ours  could  never 
have  been  so  for  us. 

But  let  us  return  to  our  subject;  and  having  already  con- 
sidered the  consequence  and  the  union  which  is  between  the 
exaltation  of  the  Lord  and  his  preceding  humiliation,  let  us 
now  see  what  this  exaltation  was,  and  in  what  it  consists.  The 
apostle  explains  it  to  us  in  two  ways  ;  saying,  in  the  first  place, 
that  God  had  highly  elevated  Jesus  Christ  ;  and  adding,  in  the 
second,  that  he  had  "  given  him  a  name  which  is  above  every 
name."  If  you  have  clearly  understood  how  the  Lord  abased 
himself,  and  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  you  will  easily  con- 
ceive how  he  has  been  exalted.  For  being  God  and  man  in 
one  person,  it  is  clear  that  as  divinity  is  immutable  and  abso- 
lutely incapable  of,  any  alteration  and  change,  he  was  neither 
abased  nor  exalted  as  regards  the  substance  or  the  properties 
of  that  divine  nature,  which  always  remained  the  same  within 
him.  But  although  in  saying  that  he  made  himself  of  no  repu- 
tation, we  mean,  (as  was  explained  to  you  in  the  preceding 
text,)  in  the  first  place,  that  he  clothed  himself  with  feeble 
flesh,  in  which  he  endured  all  sorts  of  indignities,  meannesses, 
shame,  and  grief;  and  secondly,  that  although  his  divinity 
truly  dwelt  in  his  flesh,  yet  it  concealed  the  brightness  of  it, 
allowing  neither  its  presence  nor  its  light  to  appear:  so  now 
must  we  understand  the  opposite,  that  the  apostle,  in  saying 
he  was  exalted,  means,  first,  that  his  human  nature  was  really 
and  truly  drawn  from  the  meanness,  sufferings,  and  indigni- 
ties in  which  it  had  been  plunged,  and  placed  at  the  same  time 
in  a  high  and  glorious  state  ;  and  secondly,  that  his  divinity 
has  caused  this  sacred  vessel  to  shine  and  glitter  everywhere 
with  the  rays  of  his  glory,  which  formerly  the  veil  of  infirmity 
had  restrained  and  hidden.  This  word  comprehends  all  the 
parts  of  that  change  which  occurred  to  Jesus  Christ  after  he  had 
finished  the  work  of  our  redemption.  And  first  his  holy  and 
miraculous  resurrection,  when  his  body,  lying  in  the  sepulchre, 
not  only  took  again  life,  but  immortality,  and  instead  of  this 
feeble  and  mortal  being  which  he  had  yielded  up  upon  the 
22 


170  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  X. 

cross,  clothed  himself  with  one  that  was  glorious  and  incapable 
of  suffering  ;  being  by  these  means  exalted  not  only  above  the 
nature  of  sinful  men,  in  the  likeness  of  whom  he  had  appeared, 
but  also  above  that  of  Adam  in  Paradise:  for  however  beau- 
tiful and  excellent  was  the  nature  of  our  first  parent,  neverthe- 
less that  nature  was  still  animal,  and  supported  by  the  fruits 
of  the  earth  ;  whereas  that  new  nature  which  Jesus  Christ  took 
is  heavenly  and  spiritual,  having  life  in  itself,  and  subsisting 
in  the  same  manner  as  spirits,  without  any  longer  having  need 
of  the  earth  or  of  its  fruits  ;  perfectly  holy,  glorious,  and  bril- 
liant. As  the  Father  clothed  the  nature  of  Jesus  Christ  with 
heavenly  qualities,  so  also  he  exalted  him  above  the  earth,  from 
these  lower  regions,  the  abode  of  perishable  and  corruptible 
things,  into  a  place  worthy  of  his  new  condition,  when  forty 
days  after  his  resurrection,  seated  on  a  cloud,  that  is  to  say,  on 
the  chariot  of  God,  as  the  prophet  calls  it,  and  surrounded  by 
angels,  he  was  carried  up  into  heaven,  the  sanctuary  of  im- 
mortality, and  lifted  above  all  those  visible  orbits  in  which  the 
sun,  the  moon,  and  the  other  stars  revolve,  into  the  heaven  of 
heavens,  the  true  firmament,  the  highest  and  most  august  place 
in  the  universe,  which  is  represented  to  us  in  scripture  as  the 
palace  of  God,  his  seat  and  eternal  throne.  There  he  crowned 
him  with  sovereign  glory,  and  seated  him  on  the  right  hand  of 
his  majesty,  to  live  from  thenceforward  in  a  condition  as  highly 
exalted  above  the  honour  and  happiness  of  all  creatures  visible 
and  invisible,  as  the  place  where  he  is  seated  is  exalted  above 
the  centre  of  the  world.  This  is  what  the  apostle  means  when 
he  says  that  God  has  highly  exalted  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
signifying  by  this  word  the  exaltation  both  of  his  dwelling 
and  his  condition  above  all  things,  which  comprehends  his  re- 
surrection, his  ascension,  and  his  seat  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
Father. 

And  the  second  description  which  he  gives  of  the  glorifica- 
tion of  our  Lord,  adding  that  "  God  has  given  him  a  name 
which  is  above  every  name,"  relates  to  the  same.  It  is  won- 
derful that  the  greater  part  of  commentators  find  a  difficulty  in 
so  plain  a  word.  For  some  understand  this  name  given  to  the 
Lord  of  the  name  of  Jesus,  as  if  he  had  only  had  that  in  con- 
sequence of  his  humiliation,  and  as  if  he  had  not  borne  it  from 
his  infancy,  and  during  all  the  days  of  his  flesh.  Others  make 
it  relate  to  the  name  of  "  Son  of  God,",  and  I  acknowledge  that 
the  resurrection  of  the  Lord  brought  this  very  quality  into 
clearness  ;  from  whence  the  apostle  says  at  the  beginning  of 
the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans,  i.  4,  that  he  was  openly  declared  to 
be  the  Son  of  God  by  the  resurrection  from  the  dead  ;  and 
elsewhere,  Acts  xiii.  13,  he  particularly  applies  to  this  period 
the  passage  in  the  second  Psalm,  "Thou  art  my  Son,  to-day 
have  I  begotten  thee,"  because  it  was  then  principally  that  it 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  171 

appeared  that  Jesus  was  the  Son  of  God.  But  if  the  infirmity 
of  his  flesh  prevented  the  generality  of  men  from  acknowledg- 
ing this  quality  before  his  resurrection,  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  the  Father  had  given  him  this  name  a  long  time  before, 
when  he  had  called  from  heaven  "that  he  was  his  beloved  Son, 
in  whom  he  was  well  pleased,"  Matt.  xvii.  5,  and  commanded 
us  thenceforth  to  hear  him.  Who  does  not  see  that  the  holy 
apostle  does  not  here  mean  words  and  syllables  ;  but  that,  by 
a  method  of  speaking  common  to  all  languages,  and  particu- 
larly to  that  of  the  scriptures,  by  the  name  he  means  dignity, 
quality,  and  glory  ?  It  is  also  clear  that  the  use  of  names  and 
titles  is  to  explain  the  quality  of  persons.  It  is  manifestly  thus 
that  the  apostle  uses  it  in  Eph.  i.  20,  21,  in  a  passage  where  he 
is  treating  the  same  subject,  saying,  God  has  made  "  Jesus  Christ 
sit  at  his  right  hand  in  the  heavenly  places,  far  above  all  prin- 
cipality, and  power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and  every  name 
that  is  named,  not  only  in  this  world,  but  also  in  that  which  is 
to  come  ;"  where  you  see  he  places  the  principalities,  powers, 
might,  and  dominion  in  the  rank  of  the  names  above  which 
Jesus  Christ  was  exalted.  Now  it  is  clear  and  certain,  by  many 
other  passages,  that  the  "principalities,  powers,  might,  and  do- 
minion "  are  the  different  orders  of  the  holy  angels,  according 
to  the  different  degrees  either  of  the  glory  or  of  the  ministries 
with  which  the  Lord  hath  honoured  them;  so  that  these  other 
names  which  he  adds  are  also  in  like  manner  the  other  digni- 
ties established  by  God,  whether  in  this  present  world,  or  in 
that  for  which  we  are  looking;  in  which  there  will  be  incom- 
parably higher  than  in  this,  because  sin,  which  has  tarnished 
this  world,  having  no  place  in  the  other,  the  goodness  of  God 
will  be  communicated  then  to  his  creatures  much  more  freely 
and  fully,  and  in  a  more  illustrious  manner,  than  it  now  is. 
"When  the  apostle  then  says  "that  God  has  given  Jesus  Christ 
a  name  which  is  above  every  name,"  he  simply  means  that  he 
has  established  him  in  a  dignity  which  surpasses  the  glory  of 
all  creatures,  high,  low,  present,  and  future  ;  and  that  of  so 
many  illustrious  and  venerable  names  by  which  the  grandeur 
is  expressed  of  things  elevated  into  some  dignity,  whether  in 
earth  or  in  heaven,  there  is  not  one  that  can  represent  to  us 
that  which  the  Father  has  given  to  Jesus  Christ,  in  conse- 
quence of  his  obedience.  The  names  of  princes,  kings,  mon- 
archs,  with  those  of  «cherubim  and  seraphim,  thrones  and 
powers,  are  all  infinitely  below  his.  His  is  an  entirely  new 
name,  which  has  never  been  borne  by  man  or  angel.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  universe  equal  or  comparable  to  his  glory. 

For,  no  longer  to  keep  you  in  suspense,  this  dignity,  my 
brethren,  that  Christ  received  at  his  entrance  into  heaven,  after 
his  sufferings  and  conflicts,  is  the  dignity,  the  glory,  and  the 
authority  of  God  himself.     It  is  his  quality,  his  state,  his  em- 


172  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   X. 

pire.  It  is  the  office  of  Head  of  the  church,  and  sovereign 
Judge  of  the  universe,  titles  which  belong  to  God  only,  and 
can  be  ascribed  to  no  one  else.  Our  Lord  also  had  the  same 
meaning,  when  he  said  to  the  apostles  after  his  resurrection, 
"  All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth.  Go  ye. 
and  make  disciples  of  all  nations,  and,  lo,  I  am  with  you,  even 
to  the  end  of  the  world."  Again,  it  is  what  Peter  meant  in 
his  first  exhortation  to  the  Jews,  when  he  said  to  them  that 
"  God  had  made,"  that  is  to  say,  ordered  and  established,  "  this 
Jesus,  whom  ye  have  crucified,  both  Lord  and  Christ."  It  is 
the  name  which  was  then  given  him,  above  every  name,  to  be 
"the  Christ,"  "the  Lord." 

And  it  is  this  that  Paul  explains  again  in  another  way, 
speaking  to  the  Athenians,  and  saying  "that  God  had  appointed 
him  the  Judge  of  the  whole  world."  All  these  expressions 
have  the  same  meaning  as  that  which  the  church  has  drawn 
from  the  scripture,  and  which  she  usually  employs  to  signify 
this  mystery,  saying  that  Jesus  was  "  seated  on  the  right  hand 
of  God."  But  you  will  say  to  me,  that  as  the  Lord  Jesus  is 
the  true  and  eternal  God,  blessed  for  ever  with  the  Father,  had 
he  not  this  dignity  and  glory  before  and  during  his  humilia- 
tion ?  If  he  had  it  not,  how  was  he  God  ?  If  otherwise,  how 
can  it  be  said  that  the  Father  gave  it  him  after  his  resurrection 
only  ?  Dear  brethren,  I  reply,  that  Jesus  Christ  was  in  truth 
the  Almighty  God,  and  the  Lord  of  glory,  before  his  humilia- 
tion. These  qualities  were  his  before  all  time,  as  he  possesses 
them  by  his  nature,  having  received  them  from  the  Father,  by 
his  eternal  and  incomprehensible  generation.  Here,  however, 
the  question  is  not  that  of  his  original  and  essential  dignity, 
or  even  of  his  divinity,  but  that  of  his  office  ;  of  that  which 
he  had  being  Mediator,  not  of  that  which  he  possessed  as  being 
Son  of  God  simply  ;  of  that  power  which  the  Father  has  given 
him  as  being  Son  of  man,  as  he  himself  says  in  John,  because 
he  is  the  Christ  and  the  Mediator  of  the  church.  And  this 
power  is  nothing  else  than  the  right  and  authority  to  save  the 
world,  to  found  the  church,  and  to  preserve  it  against  the  gates 
of  hell,  to  raise  up  and  judge  the  human  race,  and  to  establish 
afterwards  a  second  universe,  where  righteousness  and  immor- 
tality should  dwell  for  ever.  Jesus  was  only  invested  with  this 
great  and  magnificent  right  after  having  completed  the  work 
of  his  humiliation;  and  if  from  time  tottime  he  has  performed 
some  of  its  functions,  it  has  only  been  by  dispensation,  and  in 
virtue  of  the  faith  that  he  had  pledged,  to  satisfy  exactly  all 
the  required  conditions  for  being  installed  into  this  great  and 
divine  office  of  expiating  the  sins  of  the  world,  by  a  perfect 
sacrifice,  and  to  support  all  the  trials  by  which  he  should  be 
tempted.  This  is  the  reason  why  he  did  not  till  then  bear  in 
his  flesh  the  ensigns  of  this  glorious  dignity.     He  only  took 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  173 

them  at  his  resurrection,  which  was  as  it  were  the  day  of  his 
consecration  and  of  his  coronation.  Truly  do  I  confess,  that 
to  execute  the  authority  that  he  then  received,  an  infinite  wis- 
dom and  power  is  necessary  ;  and  had  he  not  already  had  such, 
God,  who  never  gives  the  title  without  the  qualification,  nor 
an  office  without  a  capacity  for  it,  would  doubtless  have  com- 
municated it  to  him.  But  being  the  Almighty  God,  there  was 
no  need  in  this  respect,  but  to  deliver  to  him  the  name  and 
right,  with  which  being  provided,  he  displayed  in  the  sight  of 
men  and  angels  this  power  of  his  divinity,  which  till  then,  as 
it  were,  had  been  hidden  under  the  veil  of  the  infirmities 
which  were  necessary  for  our  salvation.  And  as  to  his  human 
nature,  which,  that  he  might  obtain  it,  had  been  clothed  at  his 
conception  with  the  form  and  weakness  of  our  poor  flesh,  God 
then  (as  we  have  before  said)  filled  it  with  glory,  and  gave  it 
all  the  excellence  of  which  it  was  susceptible,  while  dwelling 
within  the  limits  of  its  true  being.  I  add  this  expressly  to 
exclude  the  vain  imaginations  of  those  who,  under  pretence 
of  glorifying  the  flesh  of 'the  Lord,  would  destroy  and  anni- 
hilate it,  declaring  that  by  the  resurrection  it  received  the  in- 
communicable properties  of  divinity,  that  is  to  say,  omnipre- 
sence and  such  like. 

II.  But  it  is  now  time  to  come  to  the  second  and  last  part 
of  this  text,  in  which  the  apostle  describes  the  rights  and  pri- 
vileges of  this  sovereign  name  which  the  Son  of  God  received; 
"  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  things 
in  heaven  and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the  earth  ; 
and  that  every  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father."  He  lays  before  us 
two  rights  which  the  dignity  of  the  Lord  has  legitimately  ac- 
quired for  him  :  the  first  is  the  adoration  of  his  name  ;  and  the 
second  the  confession  and  acknowledgment  of  his  dignity.  To 
every  dignity  established  by  God  in  the  world  an  honour  is 
due,  proportioned  to  their  respective  excellence.  As  then  the 
Father  has  exalted  Jesus  Christ  to  a  sovereign  and  truly  divine 
dignity,  it  is  evident  that  we  owe  him  a  supreme  honour,  and  that 
species  of  worship  properly  due  to  the  Deity,  which  we  usu- 
ally call  adoration.  And  the  Lord  has  taught  us  this  him- 
self: "  The  Father  has  committed  all  judgment  to  the  Son,  that 
all  men  should  honour  the  Son,  even  as  they  honour  the  Fa- 
ther," John  v.  22,  23.  And  this  duty  is  now  so  necessary 
since  the  manifestationJbf  Christ,  that  he  adds,  "  He  who  hon- 
oureth  not  the  Son,  honoureth  not  the  Father  who  hath  sent 
him."  It  is  precisely  this  kind  of  honour  that  the  apostle 
here  means  in  saying  "  that  every  knee  should  bow  at  the  name 
of  Jesus,"  as  appears  from  the  passage  in  Isaiah,  from  whence 
he  quoted  this  sentence.  For  it  is  the  God  adored  by  ancient 
Israel  who  spoke  in  these  words,  "I  have  sworn  by  myself, 


174  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  X. 

the  word  is  gone  out  of  my  mouth  in  righteousness,  and  shall 
not  return,  That  unto  me  every  knee  shall  bow,  every  tongue 
shall  swear,"  Isa.  xlv.  23.  The  apostle  refers  this  saying  to 
Jesus  Christ  here  and  in  Rom.  xiv.,  an  evident  proof  that  the 
Son  is  the  true  and  eternal  God  who  spoke  by  the  ancient  pro- 
phets, and  that  the  same  honour  and  the  same  adoration  which 
were  formerly  paid  to  the  Father  by  the  Israelites  also  belong 
to  the  Son.  I  confess  that  to  bow  the  knee  is  only  the  sign, 
the  outward  and  bodily  symbol  of  that  adoration,  which 
really  consists  in  submission,  and  in  the  affections  of  the  mind. 
But  these  words  are  commonly  used  here  and  elsewhere  for 
the  adoration  itself;  it  being  clear  that  the  heavenly  things, 
that  is  to  say,  the  angels,  which  the  apostle  enumerates  among 
those  who  render  this  honour  to  Jesus  Christ,  have  properly 
speaking  no  knee.  And  from  this  form  of  expression  we  may 
gather  that,  to  yield  to  God  and  to  his  Christ  the  honour  that 
is  due,  we  must  honour  them  not  only  with  the  heart,  but  also 
with  that  exterior  inclination  of  our  body,  which  you  know, 
that  when  the  Lord  distinguishes  his  true  servants  from  idola- 
ters, he  expressly  attributes  this  mark  to  them,  that  they  had 
not  bowed  their  knees  to  Baal.  Such  then  is  the  honour  due 
to  Jesus  Christ  the  Mediator,  namely,  supreme  adoration  and 
divine  worship. 

As  to  those  who  owe  him  this,  the  apostle  describes  them  to 
us  in  these  words,  "  the  things  that  are  in  heaven,  and  in  the 
earth,  and  under  the  earth  ;"  by  which  you  perceive  he  includes 
all  the  creatures  in  the  world,  of  whatever  quality  or  condi- 
tion they  may  be,  who  are  endowed  with  reason,  and  capable 
of  knowing  and  serving  God.  It  is  a  very  usual  method  in 
Scripture  to  divide  them  into  three  orders,  the  heavenly,  the 
earthly,  and  those  that  are  under  the  earth  ;  as  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  law,  where  God,  forbidding  to  worship  any  image 
of  any  sort,  says,  "  Thou  shalt  not  make  to  thyself  any  like- 
ness of  anything  that  is  in  heaven  above,  or  that  is  in  the 
earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the  water  under  the  earth,"  Exod. 
xx.  4.  And  in  Rev.  v.  3,  "And  no  man  in  heaven,  or  in 
earth,  or  under  the  earth,  was  able  to  open  the  book,  neither 
to  look  thereon."  And  in  verse  13,  where  the  subject  still  is 
of  glorifying  God  and  his  Son,  "I  heard  every  creature  which 
is  in  heaven,  and  on  the  earth,  and  under  the  earth,  and  such 
as  are  in  the  sea,  and  all  that  are  in  them,  saying,  Blessing,  and 
honour,  and  glory,  and  power,  be  unto  him  that  sitteth  upon 
the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever."  Now,  in 
my  opinion,  the  words  of  Paul  may  be  taken  in  two  ways, 
both  good  and  appropriate  :  first,  by  understanding  them  gene- 
rally of  all  things,  animate  and  inanimate,  seen  or  unseen  ;  and 
by  interpreting  them  thus,  that  every  knee  should  bow  at  the 
name  of  Jesus,  of  the  things  that  are  in  heaven,  and  in  the 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  175 

earth,  and  under  the  earth  ;  to  signify  that  there  is  no  creature 
in  the  whole  circumference  of  the  universe  which  is  not  sub- 
ject to  him,  which  does  not  submit  to  his  will,  and  yield  him 
the  same  obedience  as  to  God,  according  to  what  he  said,  "  All 
power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  in  earth."  For  we  must 
not  consider  it  strange  that  the  words  "bow  the  knee  "  may  be 
applied  to  inanimate  things,  to  signify  the  subjection  and 
obedience  which  they  yield  to  the  Lord,  moving  or  resting, 
acting  or  ceasing  to  act,  according  to  the  laws  of  his  will  ;  as 
there  is  nothing  more  usual  than  in  the  Psalms  and  other  parts 
of  scripture  to  speak  thus,  where  the  actions  and  qualities  of 
living  and  reasonable  beings  are  attributed  to  such  things  as 
are  inanimate  ;  and  it  is  in  truth  a  very  elegant  and  beautiful 
figure.  Thus  John,  in  that  part  of  the  Kevelation  which  we 
have  just  quoted,  makes  every  living  thing  praise  and  glorify 
the  Lord.  Secondly,  the  words  of  the  apostle  may  also  be  re- 
stricted to  persons  endowed  with  reason,  and  capable  of  serving 
God  ;  and  it  is  in  this  sense  that  our  Bibles  have  taken  them 
in  the  translation,  "that  every  knee  should  bow,  of  those  which 
are  in  heaven,"  and  not  of  the  things  which  are  in  heaven.  Un- 
derstanding them  thus,  it  may  be  asked  who  those  are  whom 
the  apostle  means.  Is  it  not  we,  who,  being  on  the  earth,  ought 
to  bow  the  knee  to  the  Lord?  Our  adversaries  of  Rome,  who 
never  dare  to  speak  of  places  under  the  earth  without  thinking 
of  their  purgatory,  do  not  fail  to  make  this  passage  relate  to 
it,  wishing  that  by  "  those  who  are  under  the  earth  "  we  should 
understand  those  pretended  spirits  which  they  keep  in  prison 
till  they  are  purified.  But  nothing  can  force  us  to  come  to  that 
interpretation.  For  who  will  here  prevent  our  understanding, 
with  some  of  the  ancient  fathers,  by  those  who  are  in  heaven, 
all  the  angels  generally  ;  by  those  who  are  on  the  earth,  living 
men  ;  and  by  those  who  are  under  the  earth,  the  dead  ?  (Theo- 
doret.)  Or,  with  others,  to  take  those  who  are  in  the  heavens 
for  the  good  angels  and  just  men  made  perfect,  those  who  are 
on  earth  for  men,  and  those  who  are  under  the  earth  for  the 
devils  ?  As  to  the  dead,  it  is  evident  that  they  will  also 
bow  the  knee  at  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  will  one  day  appear 
before  his  throne  to  be  judged.  And  as  to  devils,  however 
opposed  their  wills  may  be  to  it,  still  they  render  homage 
and  obedience  to  the  Son  of  God,  and  tremble  at  his  word. 
But  perhaps  it  would  be  most  suitable  to  explain  this  text  by 
the  first  method,  where  this  pretended  difficulty  has  no  place. 
For  the  remainder,  it  is  clear  enough,  from  what  we  have  said 
before,  that  by  the  name  of  Jesus  the  apostle  means  his  ma- 
jesty, and  his  person  invested  with  the  glory  and  sovereign 
dignity  that  the  Father  gave  him  ;  as  it  is  usual  in  scripture 
to  use  the  name  of  God  in  that  sense  in  many  places  where  it 
says,  "  Bless  and  praise  the  name  of  God  ;"  and  it  is  a  childish 


176  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   X. 

error  to  make  it  relate  precisely  to  the  word  Jesus  itself,  as  our 
adversaries  understand  it,  who  are  accustomed  to  uncover 
themselves  every  time  they  pronounce  the  name  of  Jesus.  In 
the  first  place,  we  must  pay  attention  to  the  words  of  the  apos- 
tle, who  says,  "  bow  the  knee,"  and  not,  uncover  yourself. 
Besides,  if  it  be  the  words,  the  sound  and  the  syllables,  that 
they  venerate,  it  is  an  inexcusable  superstition.  If  it  be  the 
person  signified  by  this  name,  then  why  do  they  not  uncover 
themselves  in  the  same  way  when  they  hear  the  name  of  Christ, 
of  God,  of  our  Lord,  which  mean  the  same  thing?  Assuredly 
we  can  neither  think  nor  speak  of  the  Lord  Jesus  with  too 
much  reverence,  and  God  forbid  that  we  should  blaspheme 
any  of  the  true  honours  that  are  paid  to  him.  We  only  re- 
prove superstition  and  will-worship,  which  the  Lord  neither 
ordered  nor  expected  from  his  servants.  The  true  honour 
that  we  owe  him  is  to  adore  him  and  to  serve  him,  to  obey  him 
and  glorify  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

To  this  the  second  homage  relates,  which  the  apostle  adds, 
saying,  "And  every  tongue  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord." 
These  words  may  be  understood  either  generally,  of  the 
confession  of  all  reasonable  creatures,  who  ought  to  acknow- 
ledge him  for  their  sovereign  Lord;  (for  the  angels  also  have 
their  tongues  and  their  language,  that  is  to  say,  their  manner 
of  expressing  the  thoughts  of  their  minds,  and  of  communi- 
cating them,  and  being  understood  by  one  another  ;)  or  at  any 
rate  to  restrict  these  words  to  the  human  race,  as  saying  that 
there  is  neither  people  nor  nation  upon  earth  that  ought  not 
to  serve  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  acknowledge  him  for  what  he  is, 
the  Christ  of  God,  the  Lord  and  Eedeemer  of  men.  Since  the 
division  of  languages,  the  nations  have  (as  you  know)  been  dis- 
tinguished by  their  language,  each  people  having  its  own  pe- 
culiar dialect,  and  not  understood  by  others.  To  confess  that 
Jesus  is  the  Lord,  is  to  recognize  the  divine  and  sovereign 
dignity  in  which  the  Father  has  placed  him.  This  is  what  the 
name  "  Lord"  signifies,  and  we  must  even  remark  that  it  is 
precisely  the  word  that  the  Greeks  have  used  to  express  the 
peculiar  and  incommunicable  name  of  God,  that  is  to  say, 
"  the  Eternal,"  as  our  Bibles  have  well  translated  it.  And 
from  this  we  may  gather  two  things  :  the  first,  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  true  God,  the  Eternal,  the  Creator  and  Preserver  of 
the  world  ;  and  that  those  are  unworthy  to  be  called  christians 
who  do  not  serve  him  in  this  quality.  The  other  is,  that  it  is 
not  enough  to  believe  that  he  is  the  Lord;  we  must  also  con- 
fess it  with  the  tongue,  and  make  an  open  profession  of  it  be- 
fore men  ;  according  to  what  the  apostle  declares,  Rom.  x.  9, 
10,  "  If  thou  shalt  confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus, 
and  shalt  believe  in  thine  heart  that  God  hath  raised  him  from 
the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved  ;  for  with  the  heart  man  be- 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  177 

lieveth  unto  righteousness,  and  with  the  mouth  confession  is 
made  unto  salvation." 

The  apostle  finally  adds,  that  this  subjection  of  all  creatures 
to  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  confession  that  they  make  of  his  grau- 
deur  and  dignity,  "  is  to  the  glory  of  God."     Undoubtedly  all 
the  works  of  God  manifest  his  glory  to  us  ;  but  there  is  no 
one  which  so  magnificently  proclaims  it  as  the  redemption  of 
Jesus  Christ.     This  is  the  reason  he  avows,  "  I  have  glorified 
thee  upon  earth."     His  other  works  show  us  but  the  smallest 
part  of  his  glory.   The  Lord  Jesus  has  discovered  to  us  the  high- 
est and  most  divine  mysteries  ;  showing  us  that  his  goodness, 
his  power,  his  justice,  his  mercy,  and  his  wisdom,  are  infinitely 
greater  than  men  or  angels  could  ever  have  conceived  ;  so  that 
it  is  not  possible  to  see  and  believe  what  Jesus  has  revealed  to 
us  without  being  wrapped  in  admiration,  without  blessing  and 
glorifying  him  as  a  God,  most  perfectly  and  most  supremely 
good,  wise,  and  powerful.     Or  should  it  appear  that  the  apos- 
tle simply  speaks  in  this  text  of  the  subjection  and  honour 
which  all  creatures  owe  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  not  of  that  which 
they  really  yield  him,  still  it  is  his  intention  to  include  this 
point,  also,  and  to  place  before  our  eyes,  not  only  the  end,  but 
also  the  effect  and  the  event  of  this  gift  which  the  Father  has 
made  to  the  Son  of  his  sovereign  dignity  ;  that  is  to  say,  that 
this  great  name  which  he  has  given  him  shall  cause  him  to  be 
obeyed  and  acknowledged  in  all  the  world,  and  shall  finally 
draw  from  all  his  subjects  that  adoration  and  service  which 
they  owe  him.     This,  indeed,  commenced  from  the  time  of  the 
apostle,  the  sceptre  of  this  divine  and  crucified  Saviour  having 
so  prospered  in  the  hands  of  his  ministers,  that  his  name  was 
already  great  from  east  to  west  ;  and  since  then  it  has  pros- 
pered more  and  more,  ruining  the  dominion  of  Satan,  abolish- 
ing error  and  the  false  religions  of  mankind,  putting  down 
idolatry,  confounding  the  demons,  and  finally,  constraining  all 
the  habitable  world  to  bow  beneath  his  yoke,  to  adore  his  cross, 
and  to  confess,  in  all  the  variety  of  its  languages,  that  this 
Jesus,  manifested  in  the  flesh,  received  and  treated  with  so 
much  ignominy  and  opprobrium  upon  earth,  the  stumbling- 
block  of  the  Jew,  the  scorn  of  the  Gentile,  is,  nevertheless,  in 
reality  the  Lord,  the  true  and  eternal  God,  the  Son  and  the 
Christ  of  the  Father,  the  King  of  the  universe,  the  Father  of 
eternity.     This  work  continues  still  by  the  grace  of  the  Lord, 
and  shall  continue  to  the  end  of  time;  and  then  it  will  be  en- 
tirely fulfilled.     Hence  the  apostle,  in  the  14th  chapter  of  his 
Epistle  to  the  Eomans,  makes  this  prophecy  of  Isaiah  relate 
to  the  last  judgment,  that  every  knee  should  bow  to  the  Lord, 
and  that  every  tongue  should  give  him  praise.      For  in  this 
great  and  illustrious  day,  the  heavens,  the  earth,  and  the  deep, 
all  things  terrestrial,  celestial,  and  below  the  earth,  shall  submit 
23 


178  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  X. 

to  the  power  of  Jesus,  and  every  one  yield  him  that  homage 
of  which  he  is  capable.  The  heavens  and  the  elements  shall 
be  changed  at  his  word.  The  deep  shall  yield  up  the  dead 
that  have  been  concealed  in  its  caverns.  Angels  shall  encom- 
pass his  throne  with  profound  respect  ;  men,  both  dead  and 
living,  shall  all  appear  before  his  tribunal,  and  after  having 
worshipped  him  and  confessed  that  he  is  Lord,  shall  receive 
from  his  mouth  the  sentence  either  of  life  or  death. 

Such  are  the  rights  and  effects  of  this  great  name,  which  the 
Father  has  given  to  the  Son  as  the  price  of  his  obedience. 
Let  us  yield  ourselves  then,  dear  brethren,  in  good  time  to  his 
power.  Let  us  kiss  the  Son,  whom  God  has  given  to  be  our 
Lord  and  Master.  Let  us  adore  his  name  ;  let  us  bow  our 
knees  and  our  hearts  before  him.  Let  us  confess  that  he  is 
Lord.  Let  us  believe  it  in  our  heart,  and  proclaim  with  our 
mouth  ;  and  if  we  acknowledge  him  in  this  dignity,  let  us 
yield  him  a  faithful  and  constant  obedience.  May  his  will  be 
the  only  rule,  and  his  glory  the  sole  desire,  of  our  lives. 
Let  us  leave  other  men  to  run  after  the  foolish  and  perishable 
objects  of  their  desires,  some  worshipping  one  thing,'  and  some 
another,  according  to  their  vain  imaginations.  As  for  us,  my 
brethren,  may  the  name  of  Jesus  be  our  portion  ;  may  it  be 
our  fear  and  our  dread.  Let  us  have  no  desire  in  our  minds 
which  does  not  bow  in  reverence  to  him,  no  interest  in  our 
lives  which  does  not  yield  to  his  glory.  Far  from  us  be  the 
extravagance  of  those  who  are  ashamed  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
of  his  gospel.  O  wretch,  are  you  ashamed  of  a  name  which 
is  above  every  name  ?  Are  you  ashamed  of  a  name  which  all 
the  universe  adores,  and  before  which  the  devils  and  hell  trem- 
ble ?  On  the  contrary,  let  us  make  it  our  greatest  glory.  May 
the  profession  of  this  name  be  our  dress  and  our  ornament. 
Let  the  marks  of  it  be  engraven  on  every  part  of  our  life  ;  let 
us  make  our  children,  and  all  those  who  are  most  dear  to  us, 
wear  its  livery.  Under  the  protection  and  safeguard  of  this 
name  we  have  nothing  to  fear.  Earth  and  hell  fear  it  ;  and 
there  is  no  name,  quality,  or  dignity  which  is  not  under  it. 
The  kings  and  monarchs  of  the  world,  their  ministers,  their 
people,  their  armies,  and  their  states,  their  laws,  their  wills, 
and  their  desires,  depend  on  our  Jesus,  and  are  in  his  keeping. 
The  devils  are  in  his  chains,  and  cannot  take  a  step  without 
his  permission.  Christians,  of  what  are  you  afraid,  since  you 
have  the  honour  to  belong  to  so  powerful  a  Master  ?  It  would 
be  too  unfeeling  if  you  were  to  doubt  his  love  after  so  many 
testimonies  of  it  as  he  has  given  you.  Live,  then,  securely 
under  his  holy  hand,  and  have  no  other  fear  than  that  of  dis- 
pleasing him.  And  as  the  apostle  informs  you  that  it  is  through 
humility  that  he  is  exalted  into  this  great  glory,  follow  his 
footsteps,  and  humble  yourselves  as  he  did,  renouncing  your 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  179 

own  interests  whenever  the  will  of  God,  and  the  good  of  your 
neighbours,  shall  require  it.  For  humility  is  the  true  road 
to  glory,  and  pride  is  that  of  shame  ;  and  there  is  no  shorter 
way  of  being  exalted  than  to  humble  yourself,  nor  of  being 
abased  than  to  exalt  yourself.  If  we  will  humble  ourselves 
with  the  Lord,  the  Father  will  exalt  us  with  him.  This  abound- 
ing glory  has  also  been  given  him  for  our  sakes,  and  he  will 
keep  it  faithfully  for  us,  crowning  us  with  it  in  that  day  when, 
having  finished  our  course  and  the  work  of  our  humiliation, 
he  will  transport  us  into  his  heavenly  kingdom,  there  to 
dwell  and  reign  for  ever  with  him  and  his  holy  angels.  Amen. 
Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  2nd  Dec,  1640. 


SERMON  XI. 

VERSE   12. 


Wherefore,  my  beloved,  as  ye  have  always  obeyed,  not  as  in  my 
presence  only,  but  now  much  more  in  my  absence,  work  out 
your  own  salvation  with/ear  and  trembling. 

Dear  brethren,  as  you  see  in  the  world  that  neither  trees 
nor  animals  attain  at  once  to  their  highest  point  of  excellence, 
but  arrive  at  it  little  by  little,  by  different  stages,  as  by  so 
many  degrees,  advancing  and  growing  with  time  until  they 
have  acquired  the  entire  and  legitimate  form  of  their  being;  so 
is  it  with  believers  in  the  church,  God,  the  author  of  nature 
and  of  grace,  having  in  his  infinite  wisdom  established  a  simi- 
lar order  for  the  perfection  of  these  two  kinds  of  things.  From 
the  gospel,  which  he  sheds  in  our  hearts  as  the  seed  of  our  re- 
generation, he  first  brings  out  a  heavenly  and  spiritual  creature 
indeed,  but  nevertheless,  still  rough  and  unpolished.  And 
then  by  the  power  of  his  Spirit,  with  which  he  quickens  it,  he 
strips  it  by  degrees  of  the  weaknesses  of  infancy,  supplying  each 
part  with  its  needful  strength,  and  enlarging  them  into  their 
legitimate  size;  confirming  its  temperature,  improving  its 
judgment,  illuminating  its  faith,  warming  its  charity,  harden- 
ing its  patience,  assuring  its  hope  ;  until,  having  passed  through 
all  the  variety  of  its  stages,  the  believer  shall  finally  arrive  at 
the  measure  of  the  perfect  stature  which  is  in  Jesus  Christ. 
This  arrangement  of  the  Lord  in  the  work  of  our  salvation  is 
the  groundwork  of  the  exhortation  formerly  made  by  the  apos- 
tle Paul  to  the  Philippians,  and  which  he  addresses  to  us  to- 
day in  the  verse  that  we  have  just  read,  "  to  work  out  our  own 


180  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XI. 

salvation  with  fear  and  trembling."  When  the  tree  is  once 
planted,  nature,  without  stopping,  labours  incessantly  at  that 
perfection  which  she  has  commenced,  spurring  and  hastening 
it  on,  until  she  has  clothed  it  with  leaves,  and  crowned  it  with 
flowers  and  fruits,  and  ornamented  it  with  all  the  beauty  be- 
longing to  its  kind  :  she  does  the  same  also  in  every  animal  ; 
when  once  they  are  born  into  the  world,  without  losing  a  mo- 
ment of  time,  she  employs  herself  in  forming,  and  polishing, 
and  completing  their  being.  In  the  same  way,  my  brethren, 
it  is  very  reasonable,  that  having  received  from  the  Lord  the 
commencements  of  spiritual  life,  and  as  it  were  the  rudiments 
of  that  divine  nature  of  which  he  has  made  us  partakers,  we 
should  not  stop  there,  but  should  employ  ourselves  night  and 
day  in  perfecting  so  excellent  a  work,  improving  every  moment 
of  our  time  to  this  purpose,  and  incessantly  adding  some  new 
trait  of  beauty  to  what  we  before  possessed  ;  until  we  are  truly 
divine  and  heavenly  men,  fellow  citizens  with  the  saints,  like 
unto  the  angels,  brethren  and  heirs  with  Christ,  and  the  first- 
fruits  of  all  his  creatures.  This  is  what  the  apostle  here  asks 
from  the  Philippians,  as  well  as  from  all  other  believers.  And, 
that  we  may  correctly  understand  the  sense  of  these  words,  we 
will  examine  them  briefly,  if  it  please  the  Lord,  as  there  is  not 
one  which  is  not  to  he  noted.  And,  for  your  comfort  we  will 
divide  this  examination  into  two  articles,  of  which  the  first 
shall  be  the  preface  which  the  apostle  makes  use  of  before 
bringing  forward  his  exhortation,  in  these  words,  "  Wherefore, 
my  beloved,  as  ye  have  always  obeyed,  not  as  in  my  presence 
only,  but  now  much  more  in  my  absence  ;"  the  second  shall  be 
the  exhortation  itself  of  the  apostle,  in  these  words,  "  Work 
out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling." 

I.  The  whole  preface  is  full  of  motives  and  reasons  for  in- 
ducing the  Philippians  to  do  what  he  exhorts  them.  The  first 
word,  "  Wherefore,"  which  unites  this  verse  with  the  preceding 
ones,  brings  before  our  eyes  what  the  apostle  had  just  said  to  us 
of  the  humiliation  and  exaltation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
deducing  from  thence  that  we  ought  to  conduct  ourselves,  in 
the  work  of  our  salvation,  with  the  same  humility,  patience, 
and  constancy  of  which  he  gave  us  the  example  in  the  days  of 
his  flesh,  and  aspire  to  the  fellowship  of  his  glory  by  the  fel- 
lowship of  his  holiness.  This  discourse  contains  two  parts  ; 
of  which  the  apostle  explains  the  one,  and  takes  the  other  for 
granted.  What  he  takes  for  granted  is,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
pattern  of  our  life  ;  and  that  in  virtue  of  the  union  which  con- 
joins us  with  him,  the  likeness  of  his  whole  conduct  ought  to 
shine  forth  in  us,  in  such  a  way  that  each  of  us  may  be  like  a 
portrait,  a  living  and  animated  representation  of  this  sovereign 
Lord.  He  is  our  Boot  and  our  Vine,  and  the  arms  and  the 
branches  have  the  same  life  and  being  as  the  trunk  which  bears 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  181 

them.  He  is  our  Master  and  our  Head  ;  in  every  society  he 
who  is  such  ought  to  be  the  mould  and  pattern  of  the  manners 
of  his  subjects.  He  is  our  Father,  and  it  is  the  glory  of  a  child 
to  resemble  him  who  brought  him  into  the  world.  From 
whence  we  derive  this  right,  which  is  very  beneficial  to  us,  to 
be  able  (as  the  apostle  here  does)  to  argue  from  the  Lord  to 
ourselves,  and  to  say,  not  only  for  the  duties,  but  also  for  the 
conditions  and  circumstances  of  life,  The  Lord  Jesus  was  obe- 
dient, humble,  and  patient;  he  was  gentle  and  kind;  he  par- 
doned his  enemies  ;  he  endured  their  insults  and  their  abuse 
without  returning  them  :  we  then  must  do  the  same.  And  be- 
sides, he  was  aided,  blessed,  and  comforted  in  all  his  sorrows, 
and  was  waited  on  by  angels  ;  he  was  crowned  with  the  high- 
est glory  after  his  conflicts.  Assuredly  then  God  will  treat  us 
in  the  same  way,  whatever  the  world  and  hell  may  do  against 
our  salvation.  The  other  point  which  the  apostle  has  express- 
ly touched  upon  in  the  preceding  text  is,  that  the  Son  of  God 
humbled  himself  and  took  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  obe- 
dient even  unto  the  death  of  the  cross  ;  pointing  out  to  us  in 
these  words  the  constancy  of  the  Lord  in  the  execution  of  the 
work  which  the  Father  had  given  him  to  do.  He  never  stopped 
in  so  difficult  a  career,  but  ran  even  unto  the  end,  perse- 
vering in  humble  obedience,  however  fearful  were  the  tempta- 
tions with  which  he  was  surrounded  ;  teaching,  instructing,  re- 
buking, exhorting,  and  calling  men  to  salvation  by  his  words, 
his  knowledge,  and  the  miracles  of  his  life  ;  enduring  the  in- 
sults of  the  Jews  ;  bearing  their  malice  ;  and  omitting  nothing, 
however  painful  or  unworthy,  until  all  was  fulfilled  ;  as  he  him- 
self exclaimed  at  the  end  of  his  course.  Undoubtedly,  as  we  are 
called  to  form  our  lives  after  his  example,  (as  the  apostle  sets 
forth,  and  we  have  shown  you,)  it  is  then  evident  that  we  all 
ought  to  employ  ourselves  in  our  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling, that  is  to  say,  (as  we  afterwards  hear,)  work  with  deep 
humility,  and  a  firm,  unwearied  perseverance,  to  fulfil  the  work 
of  grace  that  God  has  condescended  to  begin  in  us. 

The  love  which  the  apostle  here  testifies  to  the  Philippians, 
calling  them  his  "  beloved,"  is  a  second  motive  to  induce  them 
to  receive  his  exhortation  with  respect,  and  to  obey  it  with  care. 
It  was  not  a  stranger  who  spoke  to  them,  or  a  person  to  whom 
they  were  indifferent.  It  was  a  master,  or,  to  speak  more  pro- 
perly, a  father,  who  burned  with  love  for  them  ;  who  had  more 
anxiety  for  their  welfare  than  ever  any  father  had  for  the  in- 
terest of  his  children.  He  had  begotten  them  by  the  gospel, 
and,  to  maintain  the  work  of  God  in  them,  had  cheerfully  suf- 
fered grievous  persecutions  ;  and  even  now  in  the  midst  of  his 
captivity,  although  his  own  troubles  seemed  to  excuse  his 
thinking  of  them,  yet  so  great  was  the  desire  he  felt  for  their 
salvation,  that  he  thought  of  them  night  and  day;  and  his 


182  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XI. 

bonds  could  not  prevent  his  writing  this  Epistle  to  them  full 
of  testimonies  of  his  affection.  He  describes  it  all  in  this  little 
word,  calling  them  his  "  well-beloved."  As  if  he  had  said,  If  you 
have  any  regard  to  the  consolation  of  a  man  who  always  loves 
you  and  cares  for  you  ;  if  you  still  remember  my  care,  the  sor- 
rows through  which  I  have  passed,  and  the  blood  I  have  shed 
for  you  ;  beloved,  finish  what  I  have  begun.  May  my  absence 
neither  change  nor  diminish  anything  in  this  great  work  which 
my  presence  began  and  carried  on  among  you.  This  gentle 
manner,  employed  here  and  elsewhere  by  the  apostle,  should 
serve  as  a  lesson  to  ministers  of  the  gospel,  to  teach  them,  in 
the  first  place,  to  have  such  a  cordial  affection  for  their  flocks, 
that  they  may  in  truth  call  them  their  dear  and  well-beloved 
brethren  ;  and  secondly,  to  banish  from  their  teaching  that 
harshness  and  severity,  more  suitable  to  tyrants  and  barbarians, 
than  to  the  servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Prince  of  peace,  the 
Master  of  humility,  the  Pattern  of  kindness.  He  desires,  I  ac- 
knowledge, that  we  should  draw  and  attach  his  disciples  ;  but 
with  the  chains  of  love  and  the  cords  of  humanity,  which 
to  be  gentle  and  agreeable  do  not  cease  to  be  strong,  and  force 
minds  without  wounding  them. 

ït  is  to  the  same  method  we  must  apply  the  testimony  that 
the  apostle  here  bears  to  the  Philippians,  saying,  in  the  third 
place,  that  they  had  always  been  obedient.  For  there  is  no- 
thing which  so  easily  enters  into  our  hearts  as  praise  ;  and 
every  one  being  naturally  desirous  to  obtain  it,  a  stronger  mo- 
tive cannot  be  applied,  nor  one  which  penetrates  with  more 
gentleness  and  efficacy.  And  do  not  imagine  that  this  was 
flattery,  like  the  flatteries  with  which  the  children  of  this  world 
gratify  one  another,  rather  through  civility  than  truth.  Such 
vanity  had  no  place  in  so  holy  a  mouth  as  that  of  the  apostle. 
He  praises  them  because  they  were  indeed  praiseworthy,  and 
had  yielded  to  the  gospel  of  the  Lord,  and  to  the  preaching  of 
his  ministers,  that  obedience  of  which  he  here  speaks.  For,  in 
the  first  place,  they  had  received  the  word  of  God  with  faith, 
and  embraced  the  yoke  of  Christ  as  the  only  way  of  salvation. 
And  not  satisfied  with  that  good  beginning,  they  had  continued 
in  that  profession,  living  holily  and  courageously  in  it,  not- 
withstanding the  afflictions  it  had  drawn  both  upon  their  mas- 
ter and  themselves.  This  is  the  reason  why  he  does  not 
simply  say  that  they  have  obeyed,  but  that  they  have  always  obeyed, 
that  is  to  say,  constantly,  from  the  time  of  the  apostle's  entry 
among  them,  without  in  any  way  relaxing  in  their  zeal.  For 
the  rest,  this  obedience  must  be  understood  not  of  the  severity 
of  the  law,  as  if  these  believers  had  never  sinned  in  any  par- 
ticular of  their  duty  since  their  conversion  to  the  Lord,  for 
our  life,  while  we  bear  this  mortal  flesh,  is  not  capable  of  such 
perfection  ;  but  according  to  the  kindness  and  justice  of  the 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  183 

gospel,  meaning  that  they  had  continued  firm  in  the  profession 
of  godliness,  and  in  a  studious,  serious,  and  sincere  practice 
of  charity,  and  of  all  the  other  virtues  which  it  commands  ; 
"obeying  from  the  heart,"  as  the  apostle  elsewhere  says,  that  is 
to  say,  in  truth,  with  zeal,  and  without  hypocrisy,  "  that  form 
of  doctrine  which  had  been  intrusted  to  them."     And  from 
hence  it  appears,  contrary  to  the  harshness  of  some  morose 
minds,  that  we  may  and  ought  to  praise  the  piety  of  believers, 
and  to  celebrate  with  honour  the  obedience  they  yield  to  God. 
1  confess,  that  as  regards  the  Lord,  their  virtue  deserves  nothing, 
and  that  in  fulfilling  their  duties  they  have  done  nothing  for  him, 
but  for  themselves  alone,  as  the  psalmist  sings  in  Psal.  xvi.  2,  3, 
"My  goodness  is  nothing  to  thee,  but  to  the  saints  that  dwell 
upon  the  earth."     But  this  does  not  prevent  us  on  our  side  from 
being  obliged  to  acknowledge  it,  and  to  praise  its  excellence  ; 
and  that  as  the  Lord,  through  the  abundance  of  his  goodness, 
will  one  day  crown  them  in  the  heavens  with  his  blessedness 
and  glory,  we  ought  here  below  to  adorn  them  with  our  praises, 
that  we  may  recommend  them  to  men,  and  thereby  show  the 
consideration  in  which  we  hold  them.     And  in  truth,  however 
little  we  may  consider  them,  we  shall  find  them  very  deserving 
of  our  admiration.     For,  not  to  wander  from  my  subject,  was 
it  not  in  the  Philippians  a  virtue  to   be  admired,  and  truly 
worthy  of  being  celebrated  by  the  pen  of  the  apostle,  that  they 
had  at  that  time,  amidst  the  confusions  of  paganism,  acknow- 
ledged the  truth  of  God,  renounced  the  idolatry,  religion,  and 
manners  of  their  fathers  and  of  their  country,  to  embrace  the 
name  and  yoke  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  to  have  had  the  courage  to 
persevere  in  it,  and  to  render  that  constant  obedience  to  the 
Crucified  which  he  expected  from  them,  notwithstanding  the 
shame  of  his  cross,  the  threats  and  punishments  of  their  ene- 
mies, and  the  inclinations  of  their  own  flesh  ?     Certainly  if 
there  ever  has  been  anything  praiseworthy  among  men,  it  must 
be  confessed  to  be  this  obedience.     Thus  you  see,  that  besides 
the  example  of  the  apostle,  the  reason  of  the  things  themselves 
obliges  us  to  praise  believers.     But  in  doing  so  we  must  ob- 
serve these  two  conditions  :  the  first,  that  the  praise  we  give 
them  be  founded  in  reason  and  truth  ;  that  is  to  say,  that  we 
neither  praise  them,  nor  the  things  they  possess,  if  they  be  not 
praiseworthy  ;  nor  for  those  that  are  praiseworthy,  if  they  have 
them  not.     For  to  do  otherwise,  instead  of  rendering  them  a 
good  service,  would  be  to  do  them  a  very  ill  one  ;  serving  as 
pillows  of  security  to  lull  them  to  sleep  in  their  vices.     From 
this  it  appears  (I  would  remark  in  passing)  how  false  and  per- 
nicious is  the  praise  that  the  Romanists  usually  give  to  the 
obedience  of  their  devotees,  Avho  receive  from  their  hands, 
with  closed  eyes,  all  that  they  present  to  them  under  the  name 
of  apostolic  tradition,  stifling  the  light  of  their  own  sense  and 


184  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XI. 

reason  to  place  themselves  under  the  yoke  of  these  people.  I 
acknowledge  that  in  religion  obedience  is  needful  and  praise* 
worthy  ;  but  it  must  be  that  which  we  render  to  God  and  his 
institutions,  such  as  was  that  of  the  Philippians  here  celebrated 
by  the  apostle,  and  in  general  that  of  all  the  Lord's  sheep,  who 
follow  his  voice,  and  are  obedient  to  the  instructions  of  their 
Pastor,  who  hear  his  word  and  believe  it.  But  not  to  discern 
the  word  of  men  from  his,  and  to  take  as  doctrine  all  that  is 
offered  to  us  under  that  name,  without  examination,  without 
comparing  it  with  the  canonical  scriptures,  as  did  formerly 
those  of  Berea,  whose  diligence  is  praised  in  the  Acts,  certainly 
is  rather  stupidity  than  docility  ;  it  is  to  mock  the  truth  of  the 
Lord  under  pretence  of  respecting  his  authority  ;  it  is  to  be- 
tray his  salvation,  instead  of  confirming  it.  But  it  is  not 
enough  that  the  praise  be  true,  it  ought  also  to  be  suitable,  that 
is  to  say,  .as  to  time  and  place  where  it  may  profit,  as  this 
which  the  apostle  here  gives  to  the  Philippians.  For  what 
could  he  say  more  suitable  to  engage  them  more  and  more  in 
godliness,  which  is  his  only  design  in  this  text,  than  to  allege 
the  obedience  which  they  had  hitherto  yielded  to  the  gospel  ? 
Who  cannot  see  that  to  praise  them  thus  for  the  past  was  to 
encourage  them  for  the  future?  You  are  already  solemnly 
pledged  to  perseverance,  says  he  to  them.  This  beautiful  and 
noble  obdience,  which  you  have  so  constantly  yielded  to  Jesus 
Christ  from  the  first  period  of  your  conversion,  is  a  warrant 
for  your  fidelity  to  us,  and  to  yourselves  an  obligation  to  con- 
tinue in  it  to  the  end.  Henceforth  you  can  neither  turn  from 
it,  nor  even  look  back,  without  covering  yourselves  with  op- 
probrium. Continue  then,  in  the  name  of  God,  and  crown 
these  good  beginnings  with  a  happy  end.  He  urges  the  Bo- 
mans  by  a  similar  reason,  when,  to  incite  them  to  the  study  of 
sanctification,  he  alleges  that  salvation  is  nearer  to  them  than 
when  they  believed,  Rom.  xiii.  11.  In  like  manner,  he  magni- 
fies the  crime  of  slothfulness  in  the  Galatians,  who  had  allowed 
themselves  to  be  seduced  by  false  apostles,  by  this  considera- 
tion, that  they  had  formerly  embraced  the  gospel  with  much 
zeal  and  ardour:  "Ye  did  run  well;  who  did  hinder  you 
that  ye  should  not  obey  the  truth  ?  Are  ye  so  foolish  ?  hav- 
ing begun  in  the  Spirit,  are  ye  now  made  perfect  by  the  flesh  ?" 
Gal.  v.  7  ;  iii.  3. 

After  having  praised  the  Philippians  for  the  obedience  they 
had  yielded  him,  the  apostle  adds,  in  the  fourth  place,  "  Not 
only  as  in  my  presence,  but  now  much  more  in  my  absence." 
By  which  he  warns  them  not  to  do  as  some,  who  had  been  re- 
tained for  a  time  in  their  duty  by  the  presence  of  certain  per- 
sons of  respectability,  but  who  allow  themselves  to  be  led  into 
debauchery  as  soon  as  they  are  at  a  distance  from  them.  Paul 
elsewhere  calls  the  obedience  of  such  people  "  eye-service  and 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  185 

men-pleasers,"  Eph.  vi.  6.  Nature  itself  has  imprinted  the  sen- 
timent on  our  hearts,  that  sin  is  a  filthy  thing,  and  unworthy 
of  us  ;  however  strong  may  be  our  inclination,  we  dare  not 
commit  it  except  in  secret.  It  fears  the  light,  and  the  eyes  of 
other  men  ;  above  all,  of  those  who  are  holy  and  serious,  ap- 
prehending their  censure,  and  being  ashamed  of  appearing  in 
their  presence.  Hence  the  Stoics,  one  of  the  most  famous  sects 
of  the  ancient  pagan  philosophers,  order  their  disciples  to 
choose  one  of  their  most  esteemed  sages,  as  a  Socrates,  or  a 
Cato,  and  to  take  him  as  a  witness,  and  an  arbiter  of  their 
lives,  looking  on  him  as  present  at  all  their  actions,  that  from 
respect  to  him  they  may  form  their  lives  to  honesty  and  jus- 
tice, and  drive  from  them  vice  and  debauchery.  But  although 
this  modesty  may  be  useful  to  repress  the  unholy  actions  of 
our  lusts,  it  must  be  acknowledged  to  be  a  weak  and  feeble 
guardian  of  our  minds,  and  that  those  who  only  refrain  from 
evil  and  do  not  apply  themselves  to  good  are  not  christians. 
The  true  christian  hates  the  evil  and  loves  the  good  for  them- 
selves. He  respects  the  eyes  of  God,  and  not  those  of  men  ; 
so  that  in  whatever  place  you  may  put  him,  were  it  in  the 
most  separate,  the  most  solitary,  and  the  darkest  corner  of  the 
world,  it  will  not  induce  him  to  be  more  indulgent  to  his  pas- 
sions. This  is  the  disposition  which  Paul  here  desires  for  his 
Philippians,  that  they  should  not  obey  only  as  in  his  presence  ; 
that  they  should  everywhere  alike  embrace  the  study  of  holi- 
ness, whether  he  were  present  among  them  or  not,  always  re- 
membering that  it  is  God  that  they  serve,  and  not  Paul  ;  that 
it  is  to  this  supreme  Majesty,  who  is  present  at  all  our  actions, 
that  we  must  be  acceptable,  and  not  only  to  his  servants.  He 
also  adds,  that  they  should  be  much  more  careful  now  in  his 
absence  ;  for  whilst  he  was  present  he  exhorted  and  warned 
them  continually  of  their  duty,  he  discovered  to  them  the  am- 
bushes of  the  enemy,  he  led  thern  (so  to  speak)  by  the  hand, 
and  rendered  them  a  thousand  kind  services,  of  which  they 
might  consequently  discharge  themselves  towards  him.  Now 
that  his  absence  deprived  them  of  such  a  salutary  help,  were 
they  not  therefore  bound  to  redouble  their  solicitude,  to  be 
upon  their  guard  with  more  attention  than  ever,  and  to  seek 
from  their  own  vigilance  the  guidance  of  their  lives,  without 
resting  in  any  degree  upon  another  ? — as  a  sick  person  ought 
much  rather  to  take  care  of  himself  in  the  absence  than  in  the 
presence  of  his  physician  ;  and  as  good  soldiers  never  give 
themselves  more  trouble  or  more  attention  than  when  the  ab- 
sence of  their  officers  leaves  them  entirely  charged  with  all  the 
guidance  of  their  corps. 

II.  But  let  us  now  consider  what  this  care  was  which  the 
apostle  here  demands  from  the  Philippians,  and  from  all  other 
believers  ;  he  explains  it  in  the  second  part  of  our  text  in  these 
24 


186  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XI. 

words,  "  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling." Upon  which  we  have  two  points  to  consider  :  first, 
the  thing  itself  the  apostle  commands,  "to  work  out  our  own 
salvation  ;"  and  secondly,  the  manner  in  which  he  wishes  us 
to  do  it,  "  with  fear  and  trembling."  As  to  the  first,  there  is 
no  one  in  the  church  who  does  not  know  what  the  apostle 
means  by  "our  salvation;"  it  is  that  blessed  and  immortal  life 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  obtained  for  us  by  his  death,  and  which 
he  communicates  to  us  by  his  Spirit,  of  which  we  enjoy  the  first- 
fruits  in  this  world,  and  its  perfection  and  fulness  in  the  other. 
The  scripture  does  not  only  call  it  life,  but  salvation,  because 
God  does  not  simply  give  us  happiness  ;  he  saves  us  first,  and  de- 
livers us  from  the  evil  in  which  we  were  by  nature.  The  bless- 
ing which  the  law  promised  to  those  who  fulfilled  it  is  simply 
called  life  ;  for  the  law  delivers  no  one  from  sin,  neither  lifts 
man  from  the  sorrow  into  which  he  had  fallen  ;  but  acting  as 
if  he  were  in  a  state  of  innocence,  rewards  the  obedience  which 
he  shall  have  yielded  to  it  with  immortality  ;  hence  that  which 
it  promises  him  is  only  called  life,  and  not  salvation.  But  in 
Jesus  Christ  we  are  first  drawn  from  that  miserable  state  into 
which  sin  had  reduced  us,  absolved  from  our  crimes,  and  freed 
from  the  curse,  then  clothed  with  light  and  peace,  and  holiness, 
and  glory.  This  is  why  the  gift  of  Jesus  Christ  is  called  sal- 
vation, and  not  simply  life  ;  salvation,  as  you  see,  signifying 
life  given,  not  simply  to  a  creature,  but  to  a  miserable  creature, 
such  as  we  are  by  nature.  The  apostle  then  desires  that  we 
should  apply  ourselves  to  this  salvation,  to  this  new  life  which 
Jesus  Christ  communicates  to  us,  by  delivering  us  from  death. 
The  word  Karcpya^eai,  which  we  have  translated  "  to  apply  one- 
self to,"  properly  signifies  to  do,  to  work,  to  labour,  and  is  ta- 
ken in  two  ways  in  the  scripture;  sometimes  to  express  to 
polish,  form,  and  fashion  a  rough  and  raw  thing,  as  when  a 
carpenter  cuts  and  polishes  wood,  and  a  mason  stones,  which 
they  desire  to  employ  in  their  work  ;  and  in  this  sense  we  may 
say  that  God  makes  us  when  he  creates  us  in  his  Son,  stripping 
us  of  this  vile  and  miserable  form  of  sinners  and  slaves  of  Sa- 
tan, in  which  we  are  born,  and  giving  us  another,  holy  and 
glorious,  by  which  we  become  his  children,  precious  and  lively 
stones,  and  fit  to  enter  into  the  building  of  his  temple,  from 
vile  and  dead  stones,  which  we  were  by  nature.  The  other, 
more  common,  signification  of  this  word  is,  to  accomplish,  per- 
fect, and  finish  a  thing  already  commenced,  to  execute  it  and 
guide  it  to  its  end;  as  when  the  apostle  says,  in  Eom.  vii.  18, 
that  "  to  will  is  present  with  me,  but  how  to  perform  that  which 
is  good  I  find  not  ;"  and  when  he  says  besides,  in  Kom.  iv.,  it 
"  worketh  wrath,"  because  it  completes  in  us  the  feeling  of  the 
wrath  of  God  against  sin,  which  without  it  is  weak  and  languid, 
the  light  of  nature  alone  without  the  law  only  exciting  and  be- 


CHAP.    II.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  187 

ginning  it  in  us.  Paul  in  these  two  places  uses  precisely  the 
same  word  which  he  has  here  employed,  and  this  sense  suits  it 
well;  "Work  out  your  salvation ;"  meaning,  accomplish  that 
which  is  begun  in  you;  labour  incessantly  to  complete  this 
fine  work,  and  to  bring  it  to  its  perfection,  and,  as  our  Bibles 
interpret  it,  employ  yourselves  on  it,  that  your  whole  occupa- 
tion may  be  in  the  things  necessary  to  this  great  salvation  to 
which  you  are  called.  It  is  in  substance  the  same  exhortation 
that  Peter  gives  to  believers,  2  Pet.  i.  5,  6,  where,  having  spoken 
of  salvation,  he  says,  "  Giving  all  diligence,  add  to  your  faith 
virtue,  and  to  virtue  knowledge,  and  to  knowledge  temperance, 
and  to  temperance  patience,  and  to  patience  godliness,  and 
to  godliness  brotherly  kindness,  and  to  brotherly  kindness 
charity."  This  is  what  our  Lord  calls  to  "  labour  for  that  bread 
which  endureth  to  everlasting  life,"  John  vi.  27  ;  and  in  Matt. 
xvi.  24,  to  "  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness  ;" 
and  again  in  another  place,  to  take  up  the  cross,  and  to  follow 
him  without  looking  back;  and  in  Jude  20,  to  build  up  ourselves 
on  our  most  holy  faith.  It  is  as  Paul  will  say  to  us  presently, 
"  I  follow  on,  that  I  may  apprehend.  Forgetting  those  things 
that  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  which  are  before, 
I  press  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of 
God  in  Jesus  Christ,"  Phil.  iii.  12-14.  But  the  adversaries  of 
our  doctrine  touching  the  grace  of  God  elevate  themselves  in 
this  place,  and  misuse  this  passage  altogether  ;  in  the  first 
place,  to  establish  free-will  ;  and  secondly,  to  prove  the  merit 
of  our  works.  As  to  the  first,  To  what  purpose  (say  they) 
would  Paul  exhort  us  to  work  out  our  own  salvation,  if  we 
were  not  able  to  do  so,  and  if  we  had  not  the  necessary 
strength  ?  But  this  objection  is  absurd,  seeing  that  the  apos- 
tle speaks  here  to  believers  made  free  by  the  grace  of  Jesus 
Christ  ;  whereas  our  dispute  is  with  men  who  are  in  a  state  of 
nature,  in  the  chains  of  sin.  For  it  is  of  those  of  whom  we  say, 
that  they  can  neither  understand  the  things  of  God,  nor  submit 
to  his  will.  We  readily  confess  that  those  who  have  received 
the  Spirit  from  on  high  can  embrace  the  things  of  God,  yea, 
they  embrace  them  in  truth,  and  persevere  in  them  to  the  end, 
according  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Lord,  Every  one  that  has  heard 
and  has  learned  of  the  Father  cometh  unto  him,  and  remaineth 
in  him,  John  vi.  45.  We  simply  say,  that  all  the  strength  by 
which  they  believe  and  persevere  is  a  gift  of  divine  grace,  and 
not  an  effect  or  production  of  their  own.  And  as  to  those  who 
are  still  in  the  corruption  of  nature,  their  inability  to  do  good 
is  no  reason  why  they  may  not  and  ought  not  to  be  exhorted, 
not  to  persevere,  (which  the  apostle  here  demands,)  but  to  begin, 
because  it  is  a  helplessness  entirely  founded  in  the  malice  of 
their  hearts  ;  they  cannot  believe,  because  they  seek  the  glory 
of  the  world,  John  v.  44.     For  we  every  day  exhort  those  to 


188  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XI. 

sobriety  and  righteousness  who  have  contracted  so  confirmed 
a  habit  of  drunkenness  and  theft,  that  philosophy  itself  acknow- 
ledges that  it  is  not  possible  they  should  abstain  from  these 
vices  ;  and  yet,  under  that  pretence,  nobody  accuses  such  as 
exhort  them  of  absurdity,  or  those  who  punish  them  of  injus- 
tice. 

As  to  merit  in  our  works,  neither  can  our  adversaries  found 
that  on  this  passage.  It  is  true  that  believers  work  out 
their  salvation  ;  that  is  to  say,  (as  we  have  shown,)  they  labour 
at  those  things  which  belong  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  They 
believe  ;  they  pray  ;  they  watch  ;  they  take  heed  to  themselves  ; 
they  resist  temptation  ;  they  practise  works  of  charity,  right- 
eousness, and  patience  ;  in  a  word,  they  walk  in  the  paths  of 
the  Lord.  It  is  certain  that  believers  do  these  things,  and  it 
is  still  further  certain  that  in  doing  them  they  work  out  or  ac- 
complish their  salvation  ;  that  they  progress  towards  the  end 
of  their  calling;  they  build  up  themselves,  as  Jade  teaches; 
yea,  they  save  themselves,  as  the  apostle  says,  when  speaking 
to  Timothy,  that  in  doing  his  duty  he  will  both  save  himself, 
and  them  that  hear  him,  1  Tim.  iv.  16  ;  that  is  what  the  apos- 
tle here  says,  and  with  that  we  agree.  But  he  does  not  say, 
either  that  believers  do  the  things  by  the  power  of  their  own 
free-will,  and  not  by  the  virtue  of  the  grace  of  God  alone  ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  adds  in  the  following  verse,  "that  God  works  in 
us  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure;"  or  that  this 
endeavour  or  labour  of  believers  merits  salvation  ;  on  the  con- 
trary, he  elsewhere  protests  that  our  sufferings  are  not  to  be 
compared  to  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed  in  us,  and  that 
the  life  eternal  with  which  God  will  reward  our  race  is  a  gift 
of  his  grace,  and  alms  from  his  mercy.  It  must  then  be  con- 
sidered as  one  thing  to  merit  salvation,  and  another  to  enter 
into  the  possession  of  it.  The  first  belongs  alone  to  Jesus 
Christ,  the  second  to  believers.  For  there  is  no  one  but  the 
Lord  who  has  obtained  life  at  the  price  of  his  blood,  having 
satisfied  the  Father's  justice  by  his  sufferings,  and  obtained  the 
privilege  of  immortality  ;  by  reason  of  which  he  alone  is  called 
our  Saviour  ;  this  name,  as  well  as  that  of  Mediator,  Redeemer, 
and  Intercessor,  belongs  to  him  alone.  But  as  to  the  posses- 
sion of  the  salvation  acquired  by  him,  it  belongs  to  all  those 
who  believe  in  his  word.  It  is  very  true  that  even  in  this  re- 
spect it  is  the  Lord  who  does  the  business.  For  being  as  in- 
capable of  conducting  ourselves  in  this  state  as  of  acquiring 
it,  God  gives  us  strength  and  power  to  do  it  by  his  Spirit  ; 
in  consequence  of  which  we  act  as  the  instruments  of  his  hand, 
and  are  said  to  work  out,  or  to  complete,  our  salvation,  be- 
cause by  faith,  by  the  practice  of  holiness,  and  by  persever- 
ance, we  enter  into  the  possession  of  eternal  life,  acquired  for 
us  only  by  the  merit  of  our  Lord.     This  has  been  well  ex- 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIAN9.  189 

plained  by  an  author  whom  our  adversaries  reckon  among 
their  fathers,  (Bernard  on  Free-will,)  that  our  good  works  are 
the  path,  and  not  the  cause,  of  the  heavenly  kingdom.     It  may 
then  be  concluded,  that  the  apostle  commanding  us  in  this  place 
to  employ  ourselves  on  our  own  salvation,  to  work  it  out  and 
to  finish  it,  does  not  take  for  granted  any  power  of  free-will  in 
us,  nor  any  merit  in  our  works,  but  simply  means,  that  in  con- 
sequence of,  and  by  the  efficacy  of,  this  merciful  grace,  with 
which  God  has  freely  favoured  us,  we  should  incessantly  la- 
bour, each  in  his  calling,  to  accomplish  the  work  of  godliness, 
watching  and  praying,  renouncing  the  world  more  and  more, 
and  all  its  vain  lusts,  and  daily  growing  in  faith,  hope,  and 
charity,  in  patience,  and  in  all  those  other  spiritual  graces  ne- 
cessar}''  to  arrive  at  the  entire  enjoyment  of  that  precious  and 
glorious  inheritance,  which  the  Lord  Jesus  has  acquired  for  us  by 
his  death,  assured  by  his  resurrection,  and  promised  in  his  word. 
I  now  come  to  the  manner  in  which  he  desires  that  we 
should  acquit  ourselves  of  this  duty,  that  is  to  say,  "with  fear 
and  trembling,"  which  is  the  second  and  last  point  that  we 
have  to  consider  in  this  discourse.     Those  of  the  Komish  com- 
munion teaching,  as  you  know,  that  the  believer  ought  always 
to  doubt  of  his  salvation,  not  being  able,  as  they  hold,  to  have 
a  certain   assurance  of  being  now  in  the  grace  of  God,  and 
much  less  of  persevering  in  it  constantly  for  the  future,  wrest 
this  passage  to  their  error,  and  pretend  that  the  apostle,  by 
this  "  fear  and  trembling"  which  he  directs,  means  doubt  and 
mistrust,  and  wishes  us  to  be  in  a  perpetual  apprehension  of 
falling  from  salvation,  without  being  certain  that  God  loves  us, 
or  that  we  shall  ever  arrive  at  salvation.     I  will  not  here 
largely  refute  this  doctrine,  nor  show  you  how  contrary  it  is 
to  scripture,  which  teaches  us  in  a  thousand  places  both  the 
certainty  of  the  salvation  of  the  elect,  and  the  testimony  borne 
by  the  Holy  Spirit  to  their  adoption,  and  the  confidence  they 
should  take  from  it,  being  certain,  with  the  apostle,  that  neither 
death,  nor  life,  nor  any  other  thing,  should  ever  separate  them 
from  the  love  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ.     How  insulting  is  it  to 
God  that  we  should  be  unwilling  to  assure  ourselves  of  his 
mercy  towards  each  of  us,  which  is  the  highest  glory  that  we 
can  ascribe  to  his  goodness  !  how  destructive  of  that  comfort 
of  believers,  which  in  the  midst  of  the  miseries  among  which 
they  live  according  to  the  flesh,  is  all  founded  on  the  feeling 
of  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  !  and  to  what  feelings  of 
horror  and  apprehension  must  such  doubts  necessarily  give 
rise,  when  viewed  with  reference  to  what  they  must  endure  if 
they  shall  be  eternally  lost  !    To  minds  thus  disposed  it  is  im- 
possible that  one  single  spark  of  contentment  should  remain, 
much  less  that  they  should  possess  that  peace  of  God  which 
passes  all  understanding,  or  that  unspeakable  and  glorious  joy 


190  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XI. 

which  the  apostles  attribute  to  the  true  children  of  God,  as  a 
necessary  consequence  of  their  adoption.  And  finally,  how 
does  such  a  doctrine  clash  with  the  theology  of  Rome  itself, 
which,  setting  forth  that  grace  is  received  into  the  hearts  of 
men  by  the  voluntary  motions  of  their  pretended  free-will, 
here  evidently  contradicts  itself,  adding,  that  none  can  be  cer- 
tain if  he  has  this  grace  or  not,  as  if  we  can  knowingly  and 
voluntarily  receive  a  thing  into  our  minds  without  knowing 
whether  we  have  received  it  or  not  !  But  I  leave  for  the  present 
all  this  controversy,  and  will  content  myself  with  simply  show- 
ing that  this  passage  in  no  wise  favours  their  error  ;  and,  that 
we  may  well  understand  it,  I  maintain  that  the  "  fear  and 
trembling"  here  recommended  by  the  apostle  signifies  neither 
doubt  nor  mistrust,  (which  ought  to  be  strangers  to  souls  jus- 
tified by  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  sanctified  by  his  Spirit.)  but 
a  very  deep  humility,  accompanied  by  a  supreme  reverence 
for  God,  giving  him  all  the  glory  of  our  salvation,  without  at- 
tributing any  part  of  it  to  ourselves  ;  a  disposition  of  mind 
which  we  affirm  ought  to  be  in  every  true  believer,  according 
to  the  doctrine  of  the  scriptures.  And  it  is  a  remarkable  cir- 
cumstance, that  this  exposition  was  brought  forward  in  the 
Council  of  Trent  itself,  as  history  tells  us  ;  such  admirable 
methods  has  the  providence  of  God  for  causing  his  truth  to 
shine  even  in  the  midst  of  the  thickest  darkness.  That  we 
must  thus  take  the  text  of  the  apostle  is  proved  in  many  ways. 
First,  by  the  terms  themselves  which  he  uses,  fear  and  trem- 
bling, which  are  never  employed  in  the  New  Testament  to  ex- 
press doubt  or  mistrust,  but  always  every  where  to  signify  hu- 
mility and  reverence  ;  as  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  vi. 
5,  where  Paul  commands  servants  "  to  obey  their  masters  with 
fear  and  trembling,"  who  does  not  see  that  he  means  not  with 
doubt  and  mistrust,  (which  would  be  very  unsuitable,  and  con- 
trary to  what  he  adds,  "  in  simplicity  of  heart,  as  unto  Christ,") 
but  with  humility  and  reverence  ?  and  when  he  praises  the 
Corinthians,  "  that  they  had  received  Titus  with  fear  and 
trembling  ;"  that  is  to  say,  with  the  respect  due  to  him,  and 
not  with  distrust,  which  would  have  been  contrary  to  their 
duty  ;  and  when  he  says  to  the  same  believers  "  that  he  has 
been  among  them  in  fear  and  trembling,"  1  Cor.  ii.  3,  he  sig- 
nifies not  that  he  had  doubted  them,  that  he  had  been  afraid 
of  them,  (for  this  meaning  would  be  absurd  and  ridiculous,) 
but  the  humility,  gentleness,  and  simplicity  of  his  conversa- 
tion among  them.  These  are  the  only  three  passages,  besides 
our  text,  in  which  we  meet  with  this  manner  of  speaking  in 
the  whole  of  the  New  Testament,  all  of  which  imply  humility 
and  reverence,  and  not  doubt  or  mistrust.  Who  can  argue 
that,  in  this  fourth  passage,  we  must  not  take  these  words  in 
the  same  sense  ?  I  prove  it,  in  the  second  place,  by  the  second 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  191 

Psalm,  from  whence  this  manner  of  speaking  is  evidently 
drawn,  where  the  prophet,  treating  a  similar  subject,  says, 
"Serve  the  Lord  with  fear,  and  rejoice  with  trembling."  Un- 
doubtedly this  great  joy,  this  exultation  with  which  he  accom- 
panies the  fear  and  trembling  of  believers,  is  incompatible 
with  doubt,  uncertainty,  and  mistrust  ;  but  agrees  very  well 
with  humility  and  reverence  to  God.  Let  us  then  say  that 
both  the  psalmist,  and  Paul,  who  has  borrowed  these  words 
from  him,  by  the  fear  and  trembling  which  he  directs,  intends 
humility  and  reverence,  and  not  doubt  and  uncertainty.  The 
same  appears  again  from  what  the  apostle,  in  Rom.  xi.,  opposes 
to  the  fear  which  he  recommends  to  us;  which  is  not  assurance, 
but  pride;  "Be  not  high-minded,  but  fear,"  ver.  20;  an  evi- 
dent sign  that  the  fear  which  he  approves  in  us  is  reverence 
and  humility,  the  reverse  of  pride,  and  not  doubt  or  uncer- 
tainty, the  opposite  of  assurance.  But  what  need  is  there  to 
travel  beyond  this  text  to  establish  its  meaning  ?  Its  connec- 
tion even  with  what  precedes  and  what  follows  it  sufficiently 
explains  it  to  us.  For  the  apostle  draws  this  exhortation  from 
the  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  as  we  have  already  shown. 
Christ  humbled  himself,  and  was  exalted  ;  for  which  reason 
occupy  yourselves  about  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and 
trembling.  This  conclusion,  to  be  good  and  right,  ought  to 
follow  the  nature  of  its  principle,  and  draw  nothing  from  it 
but  what  is  really  in  it.  Now  in  this  example  of  the  Lord, 
from  which  it  is  deduced,  we  see  a  very  deep  and  most  admirable 
humility,  with  an  extreme  reverence  and  obedience  towards 
the  Father,  as  the  apostle  divinely  represents  to  us  in  it.  But 
of  doubt,  uncertainty,  or  mistrust,  neither  does  the  apostle  re- 
mark any  thing,  nor  in  reality  is  there  any.  For  who  can 
say,  without  blasphemy,  that  the  Son  of  God  either  doubted  or 
was  uncertain  of  his  victory  ?  Since,  then,  from  this  example 
the  fear  and  trembling  are  drawn  which  the  apostle  recom- 
mends to  us,  it  must  necessarily  be  acknowledged  that  this 
fear  and  trembling  are  humility  and  reverence,  which  clearly 
appears,  as  the  origin  of  this  reasoning,  and  not  doubt  or  mis- 
trust, which  has  no  place  in  it. 

Finally,  that  which  follows  no  less  establishes  it  than  that 
which  preceded  it  :  "  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling."  Why?  "  Because  (he  adds)  it  is  God  which 
worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure." 
Undoubtedly  this  great  and  admirable  grace  of  the  Lord,  which 
thus  deigns  to  accomplish  his  work  in  us,  leads  us  truly  to  con- 
clude that  we  ought  to  walk  before  him  with  extreme  humility 
and  reverence  ;  but  not  at  all  that  we  should  doubt  our  salva- 
tion ;  on  the  contrary,  we  should  rather  conclude  that  we  ought 
to  have  a  firm  and  assured  hope  of  it.  As  then  this  reason  is 
that  which  the  apostle  alleges  for  the  fear  and  trembling  with 


192  AIST  EXPOSITION"   OF  [SERM.   XI. 

which  we  must  work  out  our  salvation,  let  us  conclude  that  it  is 
humility  and  reverence  towards  God  which  he  recommends  to 
us,  and  not  doubt  or  uncertainty,  as  our  adversaries  pretend. 
For  this  fear  consists  in  two  things  :  first,  in  a  profound  humil- 
ity ;  and  secondly,  in  a  perfect  reverence  towards  God.  The  hu- 
mility which  proceeds  from  the  consciousness  of  our  own  weak- 
ness, the  worthlessness  of  our  nature,  and  the  dangers  which  sur- 
round us,  produces  in  us  a  continual  solicitude  to  employ  all 
the  means  necessary  to  salvation,  and  particularly  an  attention 
to  bind  ourselves  wholly  to  the  Lord,  hoping  nothing  from 
ourselves,  and  expecting  all  from  him;  as  you  see  in  an.  in- 
fant, who,  the  more  knowledge  it  has  of  its  own  weakness  and  the 
danger  in  which  it  finds  itself,  the  more  closely  it  will  cling  to 
its  mother.  Reverence  towards  God  produces  also  the  same 
effect,  and  gives  rise  in  our  hearts  to  a  greater  knowledge  of  his 
goodness  and  supreme  majesty  than  of  our  own  sin  and  misery. 
For  who  is  he  whose  respect  for  so  great  a  God  does  not  lead 
him  to  the  study  and  practice  of  that  which  is  agreeable  to 
him  ?  Such  was  the  disposition  of  our  apostle.  He  was  as- 
sured of  his  own  salvation,  as  he  so  clearly  testifies  in  a  thou- 
sand places,  that  our  adversaries  themselves  are  obliged  to 
acknowledge  it,  and  to  except  him  from  among  the  number  of 
doubters  ;  yet  he  did  not  cease  to  feel  much  solicitude,  and  to 
take  wonderful  care  of  all  the  means  which  are  prescribed  for 
us  to  arrive  at  the  heavenly  kingdom  ;  as  he  declares,  both  in 
the  third  chapter  of  this  Epistle,  and  in  1  Cor.  ix.  26,  27,  where 
he  declares  that  he  runs,  and  fights,  and  wrestles,  and  brings 
his  body  into  subjection,  so  that  after  having  preached  to  others, 
he  himself  may  not  be  a  castaway.  He  recommends  to  us  what 
he  practised  himself, — assurance  without  security,  and  labour 
without  pride.  He  does  not  wish  that  the  goodness  of  God 
should  render  us  cowards,  or  that  our  labour  should  render  us 
presumptuous.  Satan  deceives  some  by  making  them  believe 
that  there  is  no  need  to  withstand  vice,  or  to  give  themselves 
much  trouble  ;  and  he  puffs  up  others,  and  intoxicates  them 
with  a  good  opinion  of  themselves,  turning  their  own  virtue 
into  poison  to  them,  and  their  confidence  into  ruin.  By  the 
first  means  he  destroys  that  large  number  of  carnal  christians 
of  which  the  world  is  full,  and  who  have  nothing  of  Jesus 
Christ  but  the  name  and  the  profession.  By  the  second  he 
condemns  Pharisaical  minds,  proud  and  puffed  up  with  the 
presumption  of  their  righteousness  and  of  their  deserts,  under 
whatever  period  or  garb  they  may  live.  The  apostle  calls  to 
the  first,  "  Work  out  your  own  salvation,"  and  adds  for  the 
second,  "  with  fear  and  trembling."  Dear  brethren,  it  is  not 
sufficient  to  remark  these  vices  in  others,  or  even  to  listen  to 
what  Paul  directs  us  against  them  ;  we  must  watch  ourselves, 
and  unceasingly  practise  the  holy  exhortation  of  this  great 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  193 

minister  of  the  Lord.  May  this  heavenly  voice  of  his  resound 
in  our  ears  and  in  our  hearts  night  and  day,  "  Work  out  your 
own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling."  May  it  hasten  us,  and 
not  give  us  any  moment  of  repose  ;  may  it  awaken  our  minds, 
and  keep  them  entirely  occupied  on  this  divine  care.  Let  us 
receive  nothing  that  is  contrary  to  it.  Let  us  shut  our  ears  to 
the  gentle  but  pernicious  songs  of  the  world,  which  invite  us 
to  its  vile  pleasures,  and  its  useless  pastimes,  and  to  the 
miserable  exercise  of  its  laborious  vanity.  Let  us  not  listen 
either  to  the  necessities  or  the  desires  of  carnal  nature,  or  of 
our  family.  Let  us  leave  the  dead  to  bury  their  dead,  and  the 
children  of  this  mortal  world  to  amuse  themselves  with  mortal 
and  perishable  things.  Let  us  follow  Jesus  Christ,  and  re- 
member the  salvation  to  which  he  calls  us,  and  for  which  he 
consecrated  himself  for  us,  and  of  which  he  has  already  given 
us  an  earnest.  It  is  our  task  and  our  work.  It  is  the  vineyard 
into  which  he  has  sent  us,  the  talent  that  he  has  committed  to 
us.  Let  us  every  morning  attend  to  this  work  ;  let  us  examine 
it  every  evening.  Let  us  hold  that  day  lost  in  which  we  have 
made  no  progress  in  it.  If  any  of  the  qualities  necessary  to 
this  salvation  are  wanting  to  you,  such  as  charity,  patience, 
chastity,  or  liberality,  labour,  watch,  and  pray  till  you  have 
received  them  from  heaven.  If  what  you  have  is  weak  and  in 
a  bad  state,  quit  it  not  till  it  has  regained  its  proper  form. 
And  here  do  not  allege  any  excuse.  You  cannot  have  a  good 
one  here,  where  the  question  is  one  of  salvation  ;  that  is  to  say, 
of  your  supreme  happiness.  You  know  what  happened  to 
Lot's  wife.  For  only  having  looked  behind  her,  she  was 
changed  into  a  pillar  of  salt.  Let  us  always  have  before  our 
eyes  this  sad  and  memorable  monument  of  the  just  vengeance 
of  God  against  those  who  do  his  work  deceitfully. 

But,  beloved  brethren,  the  obedience  that  you  have  hitherto 
yielded  him,  in  embracing  and  keeping  the  profession  of  his 
gospel,  in  spite  of  the  temptations  which  surround  you,  makes 
us  hope  better  things  of  you.  God  forbid  that  you  should  lose 
the  fruit  of  such  excellent  perseverance  ;  and  that  negligence 
should  ruin  a  work  which  you  have  so  gloriously  begun,  and 
so  courageously  followed,  in  the  midst  of  so  many  stumbling- 
blocks.  The  greatest  difficulties  are  overcome.  You  have 
broken  through  the  hinderances  which  keep  back  so  many 
miserable  wretches  at  the  entrance, — the  shame  of  the  world, 
and  the  lusts  of  the  flesh.  You  have  rejected  the  temptations 
which  have  ruined  a  large  number,  bringing  them  back  again 
into  the  slavery  of  superstition.  You  have  left  Egypt  and 
the  Red  Sea  behind  you,  and  have  crossed  a  good  part  of  the 
desert.  Henceforth  you  behold  that  blessed  land  which  the 
Lord  has  promised  you.  You  are  on  its  frontier,  and  have  but 
the  Jordan  to  cross.  In  the  name  of  God,  finish  happily  this 
25 


194  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XII. 

good  journey.  May  your  strength  increase  m  proportion  as 
your  task  diminishes.  Do  in  godliness  what  heavy  things  do 
in  nature,  which  quicken  their  motions  the  nearer  they  ap- 
proach their  place  of  rest.  Employ  yourselves  more  than  ever 
on  your  salvation,  as  you  were  never  before  so  near  it  ;  but 
may  it  be  with  fear  and  trembling,  with  true  humility  and  a 
holy  reverence  towards  the  Lord.  If  you  have  made  some  pro- 
gress in  this  design,<you  have  wherewith  to  rejoice  before  God, 
but  nothing  of  which  to  be  proud  in  yourselves.  Look  upon 
your  obedience,  your  faith,  and  your  perseverance  as  the  works 
of  his  goodness,  and  not  as  the  victory  of  your  strength.  May 
your  submission  and  your  reverence  arise  from  it,  and  not  a 
good  opinion  of  yourselves.  The  more  blessings  you  possess, 
the  greater  respect,  and  gratitude,  and  modesty  you  owe  him  ; 
for  in  truth  you  have  nothing  that  you  have  not  received  from 
his  liberal  hand.  Behold,  dear  brethren,  what  is  required  of 
us  by  this  holy  and  glorious  pattern  of  the  obedience  and  hu- 
miliation of  Jesus  Christ,  which  the  apostle  has  placed  before 
our  eyes,  and  from  which  he  drew  the  exhortation  which  has 
been  addressed  to  us  this  day.  If  we  imitate  his  constancy, 
his  perseverance,  his  humility,  in  the  course  of  our  calling,  he 
will  crown  us  in  the  end  with  a  glory  similar  to  his  own,  ac- 
cording to  his  holy  and  faithful  promise,  "To  him  that  over- 
cometh  and  keepeth  my  works  unto  the  end,  to  him  will  I  give 
power  such  as  I  have  received  from  my  Father,  and  he  shall 
sit  with  me  on  my  throne,"  Eev.  ii.  26,  27  ;  iii.  21.  The  Lord 
give  us  this  grace  ;  and  to  him,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit, 
the  true  and  only  God  blessed  for  ever,  be  honour  and  glory 
for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  13th  Jan.,  1641. 


SERMON  XII. 

VERSE   13. 


For  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his 
good  pleasure. 

Dear  brethren,  to  deliver  us  from  the  death  into  which  we 
had  fallen,  and  to  restore  us  to  the  life  we  had  lost,  two  things 
were  necessary  :  one  beyond  ourselves,  namely,  the  satisfac- 
tion of  God's  justice  ;  the  other  within  ourselves,  namely,  faith 
and  repentance.  For  as  sin,  of  which  we  are  guilty,  had  shut 
up  our  entrance  into  the  house  of  God  and  had,  as  it  were, 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  195 

tied  the  hands  of  his  beneficence,  it  is  clear  that  whatever  dis- 
position we  might  have  had  towards  him,  it  was  not  possible 
that  we  should  obtain  from  him  either  pardon  or  life,  if,  in  the 
first  place,  his  justice  was  not  satisfied,  and  our  crime  expiated. 
So  that  a  propitiatory  sacrifice  was  absolutely  necessary  for  us 
to  appease  the  wrath  of  God,  and  gain  his  favour,  by  blotting 
out  sin,  which  had  set  him  at  variance  with  us.     But  as,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  is  neither  suitable  nor  possible  that  an  unbeliev- 
ing or  impenitent  creature  should  enjoy  the  salvation  of  God, 
you  perceive  that,  in  order  to  attain  it,  besides  that  propitiation 
which  removes  hinderances  from  without,  repentance  and  faith 
are  necessary  to  bring  us  into  a  state  to  receive  the  grace  of 
our  Sovereign.     The  gospel  clearly  teaches  both  these  things, 
when  it  says  that  "  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his 
only  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish, 
but  have  everlasting  life,"  John  iii.  16.     As  to  the  first  cause 
of  salvation,  the  scripture  shows  that  God  alone  is  its  author, 
who,  moved  by  his  infinite  goodness,  has  entirely  prepared, 
procured,  and  accomplished  the  satisfaction  of  his  justice,  and 
the  purchase  of  immortality,  by  sending  his  Son,  the  great  and 
precious  gift  of  his  grace.   No  one  has  arisen  among  christians 
who  does  not  acknowledge  it,  or  at  least  does  not  pretend  to  do 
so.     Those  who  make  man  capable  of  expiating  sin,  of  satisfy- 
ing the  justice,  and  of  meriting  the  grace  of  God,  are  ashamed 
of  their  own  doctrine,  and  willing  that  the  Lord  should  have 
entirely  the  glory  of  our  redemption.   But  as  to  the  other  part, 
that  is  to  say,  faith  and  holiness,  however  clearly  and  expressly 
the  scripture  gives  all  the  praise  to  God,  yet  many  in  different 
ages  have  attempted,  and  many  are  still  trying,  to  give  a  part 
of  it  to  man.     They  rightly  confess  that  it  is  God  who  presents 
to  us,  in  the  first  instance,  the  testimonies  of  his  favour,  and 
the  instructions  of  his  love,  whether  in  the  books  of  his  word 
or  by  the  mouth  of  his  ministers  ;  that   he  solicits  and  ad- 
dresses us  by  his  providence  ;  without  which  means  it  would 
be  no  more  possible  for  us  to  believe  than  for  a  man  to  see  an 
object  which  is  not  before  his  eyes,  as  the  apostle  observes,  Rom. 
x.  14,  "How  can  they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they  have  not 
heard  ?  and  how  shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher  ?  and  how 
shall  they  preach  except  they  be  sent  ?"     But  this  is  all  that 
these  people  assign  to  God  in  the  production  of  our  faith  and 
sanctification.     And  if  some  of  them  add  to  it  a  few  rays  of 
his  grace,  by  which  he  accompanies  within  what  he  addresses 
to  us  from  without,  it  is  only  to  arrange  the  objects  which  are 
presented  to  us,  and  to  offer  them  to  us  in  a  brighter  light,  or 
to  advise  and  simply  invite  us  to  embrace  them,  and  not  ef- 
fectually to  imprint  them  in  our  hearts  ;  pretending  that  it  is 
our  will  which  effects  the  chief,  nay,  the  whole,  receiving  or 
rejecting  the  operations  of  God,  by  its  own  motions,  at  pleasure, 


196  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  XII. 

without  grace  necessarily  having  any  thing  to  do  with  it.  But 
the  holy  apostle,  whose  writings  we  are  explaining,  teaches  us 
a  very  different  doctrine,  condemning  every  where  this  pre- 
sumption, and  constantly  giving  to  God  the  entire  glory  of  our 
salvation,  in  all  the  parts  of  which  it  consists.  Among  the 
texts  in  which  he  establishes  this  excellent  truth,  this  which 
we  have  just  read  is  without  doubt  one  of  the  most  illustrious 
on  which  to  found  the  exhortation  he  made  in  the  preceding 
verse,  to  work  out  our  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,  that 
is  to  say,  (as  we  have  already  explained  in  its  place,)  with  deep 
and  sincere  humility  ;  he  takes  from  us  every  pretext  for  our 
vanity,  and  boldly  pronounces  that  it  is  to  God  alone  that  we 
owe  all  that  we  are  in  Jesus  Christ  :  "  For  it  is  God  that  work- 
eth  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  of  his  good  pleasure." 

That  we  may  truly  understand  the  meaning  of  this  doctrine 
of  the  apostle,  we  must,  in  the  first  place,  consider,  What  is 
this  "  to  will  and  to  do,"  of  which  he  speaks  ;  secondly,  How 
God  produces  it  in  us  efficaciously  ;  and  in  the  third  and  last 
place,  What  is  that  "  good  pleasure  "  according  to  which  it  is 
produced.  Thus  we  shall  have  three  things  to  discuss  in  this 
discourse,  trusting  in  the  Lord's  help.  The  first,  the  effect  of 
the  grace  of  God  in  believers  ;  it  is  "  to  will  and  to  do."  The 
second,  the  operation  of  God  in  putting  this  willing  and  doing 
in  us  ;  it  is  a  work  with  power.  And  the  third,  the  motive 
which  leads  the  Lord  so  to  work  in  us  ;  it  is  "  his  good  plea- 
sure." 

I.  To  begin  then  with  the  first  point,  the  effect  of  the  grace 
of  God  in  believers.  It  would  appear  that  the  apostle  here 
takes  "  to  will  "  for  the  internal  dispositions  of  our  souls  in 
the  things  that  regard  piety  and  salvation  ;  and  "to  do  "  as  the 
external  execution  of  these  resolutions,  and  the  good  works 
which  proceed  from  them  without  ;  so  that,  for  example,  the 
design  of  believing  and  loving  the  gospel  is  "  to  will,"  and  its 
confession  "  to  do."  But  as  piety  has  its  principal  seat  within 
us,  according  to  the  apostle's  declaration,  that  "  the  kingdom 
of  God  is  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost," 
Eom.  xiv.  17,  all  depending  on  the  interior  fixedness  of  the 
soul,  the  outward  works  and  actions  being  either  good  or  bad 
according  to  the  quality  of  the  heart,  from  whence  they  spring  ; 
it  is  better  to  understand  "  in  us,"  (the  division  which  Paul  here 
makes,)  as  distributing  all  things  that  regard  piety  into  two 
parts,  one  of  which  he  calls  "  to  will,"  and  the  other  "  to  do." 
For  it  is  clear  that  in  the  mind  itself  there  are  certain  actions 
and  dispositions  which  may  be  called  energy  and  perfection, 
and  others  simply  the  will.  To  understand  it  better,  we  must 
consider  what  even  the  wise  men  of  this  world  have  remarked, 
that  the  human  will  (which  is  the  origin  of  all  moral  actions) 
has  two  kinds  of  movement.     The  first  a  weak  and  doubtful 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  197 

one,  which  is  rather  a  wish  or  a  desire  than  a  firm  and  settled 
will,  when  we  would  indeed  wish  to  do  a  thing,  but  when  in 
reality  we  do  it  not.  The  other  an  entire  and  complete  action 
of  the  will,  firmly  fixed  upon  an  object,  and  in  consequence 
using  all  the  power  it  possesses  to  accomplish  it.  Of  the  first 
sort  we  simply  say  that  they  wish,  but  of  the  second  we  say  they 
toill  indeed.  You  every  day  see  in  common  life  examples  of 
this  difference.  A  merchant  wishes  to  preserve  the  cargo  of 
his  vessel,  labouring  at  sea  in  a  great  tempest  ;  but  nevertheless 
he  does  not  will  it,  the  fear  of  perishing  himself  making  him 
resolve  to  throw  out  with  his  own  hands  that  which  is  most 
precious  to  him.  Among  corrupt  people,  how  many  are  there 
who  really  wish  to  keep  in  the  path  of  duty,  and  fail  in  it  with 
regret,  carried  away  by  the  violence  of  their  passions  ;  and 
who,  like  that  woman  of  whom  the  poets  speak,  see  and  ap- 
prove the  better  part,  and  nevertheless  follow  the  worse!  But 
those  who  are  not  troubled  with  such  passions,  or  who,  having 
fought  and  conquered  them,  continue  in  the  practice  of  honesty 
and  justice,  those,  I  say,  do  not  simply  wish  the  good,  but  they 
also  will  it  in  truth.  These  diversities  in  the  will  proceed 
from  the  different  disposition  of  the  understanding,  which  is 
the  guide  of  all  its  movements.  For  when  we  judge  absolutely 
that  a  thing  is  good  and  salutary  for  us,  we  also  will  it  abso- 
lutely. If  the  understanding  only  judges  it  to  be  doubtfully 
and  imperfectly  good,  the  will  is  only  led  to  it  feebly  and  lan- 
guidly. Now  in  piety,  which  perfects  and  enriches  nature,  but 
does  not  destroy  it,  these  diversities  and  differences  of  the  will 
also  appear.  For  there  are  some  who  are  only  touched  with 
the  beauty  of  the  gospel,  and  the  blessings  which  it  promises, 
to  the  degree  of  simply  wishing  that  they  could  embrace  it. 
But  seeing  that  to  do  so  they  must  deprive  themselves  of  the 
sweets  and  pleasures  of  life,  and  expose  themselves  to  the 
hatred  of  men,  they  stop  at  wishing,  without  going  further. 
Such  is  the  will  of  those  who  are  usually  called  Nicodemuses, 
who  would  indeed  wish  to  make  a  profession  of  the  truth,  and 
would  do  so,  if  it  were  compatible  with  the  repose  and  peace 
of  the  world  ;  but  they  do  not  will  it.  For  if  they  will  it, 
why  do  they  not  do  it  ?  They  can  allege  no  other  reason  than 
the  feebleness  of  their  will.  Such  was  the  disposition  of  him 
who,  offering  to  follow  the  Lord,  went  away  sad,  when  he  heard 
that  he  must  give  up  his  riches  ;  and  of  those  who,  having  re- 
ceived the  seed  of  life  with  joy,  withered  as  soon  as  the  heat 
of  persecution  had  blown  upon  them  ;  and  of  those  again,  who 
having  conceived  Jesus  Christ  in  their  hearts,  have  not  strength 
to  give  him  birth,  nor  to  show  their  fruit  without,  by  bringing 
it  into  the  light  of  life.  But  that  noble  merchant  of  the  gospel 
who,  having  known  the  inestimable  value  of  the  heavenly  pearl, 
sold  all  that  he  had  to  buy  it,  had  a  true  and  perfect  will  ;  and 


198  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XII. 

Paul  likewise,  who,  as  soon  as  he  was  acquainted  with  the  glory 
and  excellence  of  Jesus  Christ,  renounced  all  to  embrace  it, 
following  him  thenceforth  with  as  much  ardour  as  he  had  be- 
fore evinced  in  persecuting  him  ;  and  finally,  all  those  who  give 
up  the  world  and  its  vanities,  to  make  an  open  and  constant 
profession  of  the  way  of  God.  The  apostle  says  of  all  such  in 
general,  "  they  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,"  2  Tim.  iii.  12. 
Those  only  who  in  truth  live  so,  are  they  who  will  to  live  in 
this  sense,  it  being  evident  that  such  as  have  only  simple  wishes, 
and  who  are  content  with  saying,  "  I  wish  I  could  live  so,"  are 
free  from  the  persecution  the  apostle  says  shall  come  upon  all 
those  who  "  will  to  live."  It  is  then  the  first  motion  of  the 
will,  trembling  and  led  to  love  and  to  desire  godliness,  that  he 
here  calls  "  the  will  ;"  and  it  is  the  second  when  it  fixes  upon 
this  design,  and  embraces  it  with  a  firm  and  resolute  affection, 
which  he  calls  "to  do."  This  is  the  true  perfection  of  the  will. 
The  first  of  these  motions  is  only  the  beginning  of  its  opera- 
tion ;  the  second  is  its  operation  and  its  work  completed. 
And  that  it  must  thus  be  taken,  appears  from  other  passages, 
where  he  employs  the  same  words  in  this  sense  ;  as  in  Rom. 
vii.,  where  he  describes  the  conflict  of  a  man  troubled  between 
the  love  of  good  and  the  desire  of  evil  :  "  To  will  is  present 
with  me,  but  how  to  perform  that  which  is  good  I  find  not  ;" 
where  by  "  to  will"  he  means  those  weak  and  vain  desires  of 
doing  good,  but  which  perform  it  not,  whilst,  on  the  contrary, 
he  calls,  "  to  perform"  a  full  and  entire  will,  followed  by  its  ef- 
fect. In  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians,  he  also  expresses  it  by 
a  similar  word,  where,  speaking  of  the  wrestling  of  the  flesh 
and  of  the  Spirit,  he  says,  "  The  flesh  lusteth  against  the  Spirit, 
and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh  ;  and  these  are  contrary  the  one 
to  the  other  ;  so  that  ye  cannot  do  the  things  that  ye  would," 
Gal.  v.  17.  Here  again  he  opposes  "  to  do"  with  "  to  will  ;" 
that  is  to  say,  a  firm  and  constant  temper  of  the  will,  which  is 
always  followed  by  its  effect,  to  those  light  and  weak  desires 
by  which  good  is  rather  wished  than  willed.  It  is  in  my  opin- 
ion exactly  this  which  he  means  by  "  the  will  and  the  race," 
when,  arguing  on  the  causes  of  our  vocation  to  salvation,  he 
concludes,  "  that  it  is  neither  of  him  that  willeth,  nor  of  him 
that  runneth,  but  of  God  that  showeth  mercy,"  Rom.  ix.  16  ;  as 
if  he  would  say,  that  it  is  neither  the  wishes  nor  the  first  mo- 
tions of  man,  nor  his  firmest  resolutions,  nor  the  works  which 
proceed  from  them,  which  are  the  causes  of  his  vocation  ;  but 
the  grace  and  mercy  of  the  Lord  alone.  And  thus,  in  these 
three  passages,  under  the  words  "  to  do"  and  "  to  run,"  he  un- 
derstands, with  the  firmness  and  perfection  of  the  will,  all  the 
affections  and  works  which  depend  on  it,  and  by  which  it  is 
shown  :  so  does  he  in  our  text.  And  the  reason  is  evident. 
For  as  a  firm  and  settled  will  necessarily  produces  its  effects, 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO    THE   PHILIPPIANS.  199 

and  it  is  not  possible  for  it  to  exist  without  them,  it  is  clear 
that  whoever  speaks  of  such  a  will  speaks  also  of  all  its  effects. 
Perhaps  it  may  happen  in  other  things  that  such  a  will  may 
not  execute  what  it  wishes  to  do,  because  what  it  wishes  may 
depend  on  others,  or  may  be  taken  out  of  its  power.  But  in 
religion,  what  is  willed  cannot  be  resisted,  provided  it  be  firmly 
and  constantly  willed  ;  for  religion  only  demands  from  us  those 
things  which  we  can  execute.  For  example,  it  does  not  re- 
quire us  to  give  alms  if  we  have  not  the  means  of  so  doing; 
nor  to  preach  the  gospel  if  we  have  not  the  gifts  necessary  for 
preaching;  nor  to  hear  if  we  are  deaf,  nor  to  speak  if  we  are 
dumb.  In  these  respects  the  intention  will  be  accounted  to  us 
for  the  deed.  This  is  why  the  apostle,  in  a  passage  on  which 
we  have  before  remarked,  says,  "  those  that  will  live  godly," 
to  signify  those  who  do  so  live  ;  as  it  is  not  possible  that  a  man 
should  have  a  fixed  and  settled  will  so  to  live  without  living 
so  indeed.  From  whence  it  appears  that  in  these  words,  "  to 
will  and  to  do,"  are  entirely  comprised  every  part  of  godliness, 
without  any  exception,  all  the  movements  that  we  make  for 
the  kingdom  of  God,  and  all  the  duties  we  perform  to  arrive  at 
it.  "To  will"  signifies  the  first  emotions  and  the  first  affec- 
tions of  the  soul  towards  godliness,  which  are  the  commence- 
ments of  our  salvation  ;  God  raising  these  first  emotions  within 
us  by  the  first  rays  that  he  causes  to  shine  in  our  hearts.  Man, 
hearing  the  happiness  that  the  gospel  promises  him,  and  seeing 
the  beauty,  the  justice,  and  the  excellence  of  the  means  which 
it  sets  before  him  that  he  may  attain  it,  is  attracted  by  it,  and 
turns  his  will  towards  it,  desiring  to  have  a  share  in  such  a 
rich  treasure,  and  to  place  himself  in  the  road  that  leads  to  it. 
The  other  words,  "  to  do,"  signify,  in  the  first  place,  the  reso- 
lution that  we  take  to  believe  and  embrace  godliness,  the  lively 
and  ardent  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  of  his  kingdom  ; 
and  secondly,  all  the  holy  emotions  of  a  will  thus  disposed, 
the  courage  to  suffer  in  so  glorious  a  cause,  the  contempt  for 
the  vanities  of  earth,  disgust  at  its  pleasures,  works  of  charity 
to  our  neighbours,  temperance  in  the  conduct  of  our  life,  and 
all  those  works  which  flow  from  this  divine  source,  with  per- 
severance and  a  final  accomplishment  of  our  salvation.  There 
is  nothing  good  or  praiseworthy  in  the  life  of  believers, 
whether  of  those  who  begin  or  of  those  who  finish,  there  is  no- 
thing in  the  infancy  of  the  one,  nor  in  the  riper  years  of  the 
other,  which  does  not  relate  either  "  to  will"  or  "  to  do."  These 
two  words  comprise  all  the  efforts  and  all  the  success  of  their 
piety  ;  its  beginnings,  its  progress,  its  perseverance,  and  its 
end  ;  its  conflicts,  its  victories,  and  its  triumphs. 

This  shows  how  empty  is  the  presumption  of  those  who  di- 
vide the  glory  of  our  course  in  the  faith  between  God  and  our- 
selves ;  freely  granting  that  God  works  in  them  the  beginnings 


200  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XII. 

of  salvation,  but  pretending  that,  after  having  received  the  first 
tokens  of  his  grace,  they  are  afterwards  the  authors  of  the  rest, 
which  they  express  by  a  word  full  of  vanity,  saying  that  they 
co-operate  with  God,  making  themselves,  by  these  means,  com- 
panions of  the  Godhead  in  this  work.  The  apostle  here  throws 
down  all  this  project  of  their  pride,  pronouncing,  gloriously, 
that  "  it  is  God  which  works  in  them  to  will  and  to  do,"  the 
progress  and  the  end,  as  well  as  the  beginning.  If  there  be 
anything  else  in  them  besides  to  will  and  to  do,  I  am  content 
that  they  should  attribute  it  to  themselves.  But  since  these 
words  comprehend  all,  who  does  not  see  it  is  wronging  the 
apostle  to  give  man  some  part  of  a  work  which  he  attributes 
entirely  to  God  ?  This  same  Lord  that  brings  us  out  of  Egypt, 
preserves  us  in  the  desert,  and  introduces  us  into  Canaan.  As 
he  has  given  us  the  intention  to  follow  his  Christ,  so  also  has 
he  given  us  the  strength  to  do  so.  Our  progress,  as  well  as 
our  beginning,  is  the  work  of  his  grace  alone;  and  our  perse- 
verance no  less  so  than  our  progress. 

II.  Let  us  now  consider  how  he  gives  us  this  "  to  will  and 
to  do,"  of  which  he  is  the  sole  author.  The  apostle  explains 
it  by  a  remarkable  term,  saying,  "  that  he  produces  both  the 
one  and  the  other  in  us  with  power."  This  word,*  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  signifies  a  powerful  and  effica- 
cious action,  which,  surmounting  all  resistance,  and  throwing 
down  every  impediment,  succeeds  in  its  design,  and  executes 
what  it  has  undertaken.  Hence  the  Greek  interpreters  have 
used  it  in  Isa.  xli.  4,  to  express  that  all  powerful  work  of  God 
by  which  he  created  all  things,  giving  them  being  by  an  infi- 
nite power,  whose  efficacy  nothing  could  stop  :  "  Who  (says 
the  prophet)  hath  wrought  and  done  it,  calling  the  generations 
from  the  beginning?"  And  Paul  employs  it  in  a  similar  way, 
to  signify  the  action  of  that  all-powerful  and  insurmountable 
virtue  by  which  Jesus  Christ  was  raised  from  the  dead,  saying 
that  it  is  the  action  or  energy  that  God  displayed  with  power 
when  he  raised  him  from  the  dead,  Eph.  i.  20  ;  and  in  the  same 
chapter  he  expresses  also  by  this  word  the  action  by  which 
God  executes  his  decrees  powerfully  and  infallibly,  "  that  we 
were  predestinated  according  to  the  purpose  of  him  who 
worketh  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  will,"  ver.  11. 
And  Matthew,  in  like  manner,  to  express  the  action  by  which 
divine  power  does  and  executes  his  miracles,  in  setting  before 
us  the  opinion  that  Herod  had  conceived  of  Jesus  Christ,  makes 
him  say,  "  It  is  John  the  Baptist  ;  he  is  risen  from  the  dead  ; 
and  therefore  mighty  works  are  wrought  by  him,"  Matt.  xiv.  2. 
It  is  then  the  same  term  which  the  holy  apostle  here  employs 
to  express  the  action  by  which  God  gives  us  "  to  will  and  to 

*    'EvtpyeTv. 


CHAP.    II.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  201 

do,"  saying  that  "he  works  in  us  with  power,"  as  it  has  been 
well  translated  in  our  Bibles.    From  which  it  appears  that  this 
action  of  the  grace  of  God  on   us,  when  he  regenerates  us  in 
his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  is  not  a  moral  suasion,  by  which  he  in- 
vites us  to  believe  in  him,  or  a  naked  and  simple  proposal  of 
the  means  which  should  draw  us  to  do  so,  having  sometimes 
its  effect,  and  sometimes  not,  according  to  the  different  incli- 
nations of  human  wills  ;  but  a  strong  work,  sweet  and  agree- 
able, it  is  true,  but  powerful  and  invincible,  which  is  always 
certainly  and  infallibly  followed  by  its  effect  ;  so  that  it  is  im- 
possible that  the  soul  in  which  it  is  displayed  should  not  have 
henceforth  "to  will  and  to  do."     I  acknowledge  that  God  also 
calls  unbelievers  and  sinners  to  faith  and  repentance,  address- 
ing them  by  his  word,  and  declaring  his  will  ;  and  that  with 
respect  to  some  he  goes  still  further,  enlightening  them  within 
by  some  rays  of  his  light,  and  spreading  in  their  hearts  some 
power  of  his  Spirit,  even  to  the  production  of  this  "will"  of 
which  we  have  spoken  above.     And  I  confess  that  all  this 
work  of  God  remains  often,  nay,  always,  destitute  of  its  last 
true  and  legitimate  effect,  that  is  to  say,  of  the  real  and  entire 
conversion  of  the  sinner,  by  the  hardness  of  men,  and  not  by 
the  defect  of  the  revelation  of  God.     But  the  question  here  is 
not  of  the  kind  of  calling  common  to  reprobates,  hypocrites, 
and  unbelievers  ;  but  of  that  which  God  directs  to  his  elect, 
and  by  which  he  converts  them  to  himself.     For  it  is  that 
which  the  apostle  here  means,  as  he  is  speaking  to  people  who 
have  in  them  "  to  will  aud  to  do,"  which  belongs  alone  to  true 
believers.    The  scripture  never  calls  the  action  of  God  on  those 
who  reject  his  voice  an  energy,  or  an  efficacious  work.     This 
word  is  only  suitable  to  the  action  by  which  he  converts  his 
elect  ;  from  whence  it  clearly  follows  that  it  is  always  effica- 
cious.    This  is  the  reason  why  the  scripture  calls  it  elsewhere 
a  creation,  as  when  David  prays  the  Lord  "to  create  in  him  a 
clean  heart,"  Psal.  li.  12  ;  and  when  Paul  says  "that  we  are  the 
work  of  God,  created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,"  Eph. 
ii.  10.     Creation  (as  every  one  will  acknowledge)  is  a  work 
whose  effect  cannot  be  frustrated,  it  is  infallibly  brought  into 
being.     Undoubtedly  since  the  work  by  which  God  converts 
us  is  a  creation,  it  is  then  a  certain  and  infallible  power.     The 
greater  part  of  the  other  terms  of  which  the  Holy  Spirit  makes 
use,  to  signify  this  work  of  God  in  us,  takes  this  truth  for 
granted,  as  when  he  calls  it  a  resurrection,  a  regeneration,  a 
new  life;  it  being  clear  that  when  God  displays  the  power  ne- 
cessary to  raise,  regenerate,  and  quicken,  it  is  impossible  that 
the  subject  on  which  he  has  displayed  it  should  not  be  raised 
and  brought  to  life.     And  in  truth,  what  could  hinder  the 
effect  of  this  divine  work?     Could  it  be  the  rebellion  of  our 
will  ?     But  how,  seeing  that  the  apostle  declares  that  God  pro- 
26 


202  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XII. 

duces  the  will  in  us,  that  is  to  say,  he  makes  us  willing,  un- 
willing as  we  were?     Could  it  be  the  powerlessness  to  do  what 
we  would  wish  ?      But  the  same  apostle  says  that  God  also 
works  in  us  "  to  do."     Assuredly  then  it  is  not  possible  that 
this  work  of  his  should  remain  without  its  effect.     It  is  not 
that  he  does  not  meet  within  us  great  resistance  to  his  work, 
and  that  error,  malice,  passion,  pride,  a  host  of  lusts,  or,  to 
speak  more  properly,  of  demons,  are  not  opposed  to  his  will. 
But  there  is  no  strength  which  he  does  not  conquer,  or  resist- 
ance that  he  does  not  surmount,  or  strong  hold  that  he  does 
not  destroy,  or  pride  that  he  does  not  throw  down,  or  counsel 
that  he  does  not  dissipate,  or  thoughts  that  he  does  not  lead 
captive,  or  lust  that  he  does  not  bring  under  his  yoke.     When 
he  hardens  the  wicked  by  his  just  decree,  the  apostle  testifies 
"  that  none  can  resist  his  will,"  Rom.  ix.  19.    Who  will  believe 
that  he  has  less  power  to  soften  than  to  harden  ?    or  that  the 
hand  of  his  righteousness  should  be  more  powerful  on  the  ves- 
sels of  his  wrath  than  that  of  his  grace  on  those  of  his  mercy  ? 
If  this  work  of  God  had  not  this  insurmountable  and  certain 
efficacy,  what  would  be  more  cold  and  less  reasonable  than  the 
rich  and  magnificent  expressions  which  the  apostle  gives  us, 
saying,  "that  God  has  displayed  on  us  who  believe  the  exceeding 
greatness  of  his  power,  according  to  the  working  of  his  mighty 
power  ?"  Eph.  i.  19.     Of  what  use  are  these  great  works,  if  God 
only  simply  shows  us  the  objects  of  his  truth,  without  really 
softening  our  hearts  to  receive  them  ?     Or  where  is  the  man  of 
sound  judgment  who  would  thus  speak  of  a  philosopher,  and  say 
"  that  he  had  displayed  on  us  the  exceeding  greatness  of  his 
power,  under  pretence  that  he  had  taught  us  to  live  well  ?" 
But  from   hence   it  still   further  appears,  that  we  contribute 
nothing  to  the  work  of  our  new  birth,  and  that  all  those 
pretended   powers   which   some   attribute   to   our   own  free- 
will   are   but   fictions   and   chimeras.      They   wish  that   the 
will  of  man  should  be  the  queen  and  mistress  of  his  move- 
ments ;  and  that,  supposing  that  God  had  done  every  thing 
on   his   side,    that    he   has   enlightened    the    understanding, 
that  he  has  manifested  forth  his  judgments  in  the  world,  that 
he  has  displayed  all  his  strength  and  power,  still  that  this  shall 
be  without  any  effect,  putting  neither  "  to  will  nor  to  do"  into 
man  ;  that  man  still  has,  after  all  this,  the  power  in  his  will  to 
reject  grace,  and  to  live  in  sin  or  not.     Certainly  if  it  be  so, 
the  apostle  is  wrong  in  saying  that  God  works  with  power  in 
us  both  "  to  will  and  to  do."     At  this  rate  he  has  done  neither 
the  one  nor  the  other.     It  is  to  the  empire  of  our  will  that  we 
owe  it,  and  not  to  the  work  or  efficacy  of  divine  grace.     And 
what  need  was  there  that  God  should  act  so  nobly  towards  us, 
and  that  he  should  display  all  the  glory  of  his  power,  even  that 
by  which  he  raises  the  dead  and  creates  the  worlds,  to  work 


CHAP.  IL]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  203 

nothing  in  us  ?  all  his  work  not  having,  according  to  these 
people,  any  power  or  efficacy  on  our  hearts,  for  fear  of  vio- 
lating their  natural  liberty.  Besides  this  passage  which  is  so 
clear,  there  is  hardly  one  in  scripture,  treating  on  this  subject, 
which  does  not  confound  this  error,  and  show  us  that  the  work 
of  God  on  believers  does  not,  by  any  means,  leave  their  will 
in  this  pretended  indifference  and  liberty  to  determine.  As 
when  it  says,  that  God  circumcises  our  hearts  ;  that  he  takes 
away  our  hearts  of  stone,  and  gives  us  hearts  of  flesh  ;  and 
that  he  puts  his  law  within  us,  and  writes  it  in  our  hearts  ; 
that  he  converts  us  to  himself;  that  he  delivers  us  from  the 
power  of  darkness,  and  translates  us  into  the  kingdom  of  his 
dear  Son,  Col.  i.  13  ;  that  he  gives  us  the  Spirit  of  wisdom  and 
revelation,  and  enlightens  the  eyes  of  our  understanding,  Eph. 
i.  18  ;  that  as  the  light  shined  in  darkness,  so  has  it  shined  in 
our  hearts,  to  give  us  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  his  glory 
in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ,  2  Cor.  iv.  6,  7  ;  that  he  draws  us 
to  himself,  John  vi.  44  ;  that  he  grafts  us  by  his  power  into 
the  good  olive  tree,  Rom.  xi.  23  ;  that  he  opens  our  hearts, 
Acts  xvi.  14  ;  that  those  who  were  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins 
he  has  quickened  in  his  Son,  Eph.  ii.  1,  5,  6;  and  similar 
modes  of  speaking,  which  all  explain,  as  you  see,  with  won- 
derful emphasis,  a  very  powerful  and  efficacious  work,  which 
assuredly  produces  its  effect,  without  leaving  it  in  doubt, 
or  putting  it  off  to  the  action  of  any  other  cause  whatever, 
And  not  here  to  insist  upon  it  any  more,  I  will  only  finally 
add,  that  our  Lord  also  shows  it  clearly  to  us  in  John  vi.  44, 
45,  where,  after  having  said  that  none  can  come  to  him  ex- 
cept the  Father  draw  him,  he  adds,  that  whoever  has  heard 
the  Father,  and  has  learnt  of  him,  comes  to  him.  The  language 
of  the  first  proves  to  us  that  man  has  no  power  in  himself, 
even  to  will  or  to  do  any  thing  that  regards  godliness,  none 
ever  converting  himself  to  Jesus  Christ,  unless  God  draws 
him.  And  the  second  shows  us  that  this  work,  by  which  God 
draws  us  to  his  Son,  is  so  powerful  that  none  can  resist  it,  all 
those  on  whom  it  is  displayed  coming  to  him,  which  would  be 
false  if  it  happened  (as  our  adversaries  pretend)  that  any  of 
those  whom  God  has  taught  should  remain  out  of  Christ 
for  having  rejected  the  calling  and  teaching  of  God  by  his 
own  will. 

But  we  must  briefly  answer  some  of  the  most  specious  ob- 
jections which  they  bring  against  a  doctrine  so  clearly  founded 
on  scripture.  In  the  first  place,  they  say  that  if  it  be  God  who 
works  in  us  to  will  and  to  do,  in  the  way  that  we  have  set 
forth,  it  will  consequently  be  he  who  wills  and  who  believes 
in  us,  and  not  we  in  him,  in  the  same  way  as  some  of  the  most 
extravagant  heretics  have  held,  that  it  is  not  properly  the  sun 
that  shines,  or  the  fire  that  burns,  but  God  who  shines  in  the 


204  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XII. 

one  and  burns  in  the  other.  To  which,  I  reply,  that  this  ob- 
jection has  only  been  dictated  to  them  by  the  violence  of  their 
inclinations.  They  themselves  acknowledge  that  God  en- 
lightens the  understandings  of  men  in  the  knowledge  of  him- 
self, by  a  work  which  is  necessarily  efficacious,  and  which  man 
cannot  resist,  so  that  it  is  not  possible  that  he  upon  whom  it 
is  displayed  should  not  know  it.  And,  nevertheless,  for  all 
that,  they  do  not  say  that  it  is  not  the  enlightened  man  that 
knows  God,  but  God  who  knows  himself  in  him.  Wherefore, 
then,  should  we  not  likewise  say,  that  though  God  certainly 
and  infallibly  converts  our  will,  still  it  is  not  he  who  wills  and 
who  believes,  but  ourselves  who  will  and  who  believe  in  con- 
sequence of  his  operation  ?  Our  works  in  religion  are  one 
thing,  the  operation  of  the  cause  which  produces  them  another. 
Those  are  ours,  these  are  of  God  only.  We  believe,  we  repent, 
we  know  the  Lord,  and  we  love  him  ;  we  leave  the  things  that 
are  behind,  and  press  on  to  those  which  are  before  ;  we  per- 
severe; We  finish  our  course:  these  are  the  works  of  the  be- 
lieving man,  and  not  of  God.  But  it  is  the  Lord  who,  by  the 
power  and  merciful  operation  of  his  Spirit,  puts  our  minds  in 
a  state  to  act  thus,  enlightening  them  in  such  a  way  that  we 
see,  softening  them  so  that  they  are  converted,  drawing  them 
so  that  they  follow,  creating  and  quickening  so  that  they  live. 
They  add,  in  the  second  place,  that  by  this  method  we  change 
men  into  stocks  and  stones,  depriving  them  of  their  liberty 
and  will,  without  which  they  are  not  men.  I  acknowledge 
that  we  take  from  them  that  vain  and  imaginary  power  that 
they  give  them  of  being  able,  without  any  reason,  to  turn  them- 
selves to  one  or  the  other  of  two  contrary  sides,  which  is  but 
a  fiction  of  their  mind,  devoid  of  foundation  either  in  scrip- 
ture or  in  real  reason.  But  I  deny  that  the  action  of  the  grace 
of  God,  such  as  the  apostle  describes,  and  such  as  we  declare 
it  to  be,  injures  either  the  will  or  the  true  liberty  of  man.  It 
does  not  injure  his  will;  on  the  contrary,  it  enriches  it;  it 
makes  him  embrace  God  and  heaven,  eternal  and  glorious  ob- 
jects, instead  of  the  world  and  its  goods,  mean,  vain,  and  per- 
ishable things;  it  renders  him  zealous  and  persevering,  in- 
stead of  slothful  and  flighty,  as  he  was  before.  Can  the^e  be 
any  thing  more  ridiculous  than  to  accuse  a  work  of  God  of 
ruining  our  will  which  works  in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do  ? 
which  makes  us  will  more  powerfully,  more  nobly,  and  more 
firmly  than  ever  ?  But  neither  does  it  deprive  man  of  his  true 
and  legitimate  liberty.  For  the  liberty  of  man  does  not  lie  in 
the  power  which  they  attribute  to  it  of  embracing  good  or 
evil  indiscriminately.  At  this  rate  God  would  not  be  free, 
seeing  that  his  will  is  firmly  fixed  on  good,  nor  the  mind  of 
Jesus  Christ,  nor  those  of  the  glorified  saints,  nor  the _  spirits 
of  the  blessed  angels,  who  all  confess  cannot  be  inclined  to 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  205 

evil  ;  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  demons  nor  men,  whether  hard- 
ened in  this  world,  or  damned  in  the  other,  who,  all  acknow- 
ledge, cannot  embrace  the  good.  What  sort  of  liberty  then 
must  that  be  which  man  would  lose  in  making  use  of  it, 
ceasing  to  be  free  at  the  very  instant  that  he  would  use  his 
liberty  ?  For  as  the  will  loses  this  indifference  every  time  that 
it  wills  something,  resolving  or  retracting  the  part  it  should 
embrace,  if  it  be  in  indifference  that  its  liberty  consists,  it 
is  evident  that  it  must  lose  it  every  time  it  uses  it.  But  the 
true  liberty  of  rational  nature  consists  in  its  following  and 
embracing  that  which  is  good  ;  not  that  it  should  be  ignorant 
of  it.  like  plants  and  animals,  or  that  it  should  exercise  no 
choice,  as  those  who  are  under  constraint,  but  that  it  should  in- 
cline to  that  which  it  knows  and  judges  to  be  best  and  most 
expedient,  being  led  to  will  by  its  own  judgment,  and  not  by 
a  blind  instinct,  or  by  a  foreign  power.  Now  God  in  no  way 
thwarts  this  order  and  privilege  of  our  nature  in  working  in  us 
to  will  and  to  do.  For  he  does  not  lead  us  into  the  plan  of 
salvation  either  in  spite  of  ourselves,  or  by  bringing  us  up  in 
the  fellowship  of  his  Son  as  stones,  or  pieces  of  wood,  or  as 
slaves,  who  are  made  to  do  and  suffer  by  the  rod  things  that 
they  hate  in  their  hearts.  But  he  leads  us  in  a  manner  suitable 
to  our  nature,  and  by  an  action  so  gentle,  yet  so  powerful,  en- 
lightens our  understandings,  and  forms  in  them  by  the  hand 
of  his  Spirit  a  firm  and  solid  knowledge  of  his  truth,  and  in 
consequence  by  this  light  drawing  our  wills  and  affections  to 
his  love,  efficaciously,  but  agreeably  ;  invincibly,  but  without 
constraint.  And  as  the  scripture  shows  us  the  inevitable  effi- 
cacy of  this  his  work,  in  saying  that  he  creates  us  ;  that  he 
quickens  us  ;  that  he  draws  us  ;  that  he  brings  us  under  the  yoke 
of  his  Son  ;  that  he  vanquishes  and  subdues  us;  that  he  leads 
us  captive:  it  also  testifies  to  us  its  gentleness,  when  it  says, 
in  many  places,  that  he  teaches  us  ;  that  he  persuades  or  draws 
us  gently,  John  vi.  45  ;  that  he  leads  us,  and  speaks  kindly  to 
us,  Hos.  ii.  14  ;  that  he  gives  us  counsel  in  the  night  season, 
Psal.  xvi.  7  ;  and  that  our  hearts  say  unto  us  from  him,  "Seek 
ye  my  face,"  Psal.  xxvii.  8  ;  that  he  opens  our  ears  morning 
by  morning,  that  we  may  hear  as  those  who  are  well  taught  ; 
that  he  opens  our  ear  in  such  a  way  that  we  are  not  rebellious, 
neither  go  backward  ;  that  he  draws  us,  but  with  the  cords  of 
a  man,  Hos.  ii.  4  ;  that  he  binds  us,  but  with  the  bonds  of 
love  ;  that  he  constrains  us,  but  that  it  is  by  the  love  of  Christ  ; 
that  he  is  stronger  than  we,  and  has  prevailed,  but  it  is  by  his 
divine  attractions,  Jer.  xx.  7.  Thus  you  see  that  the  objec- 
tions of  error  against  truth  are  empty. 

Let  us  then  conclude,  with  the  apostle,  that  it  is  God  who 
efficaciously  works  in  us  to  will  and  to  do.  And  certainly  if 
it  were  otherwise,  if  the  effect  of  the  efforts  of  his  grace  de- 


206  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XII. 

pended  entirely  on  our  will,  we  must  then  acknowledge  that 
his  providence  would  be  imperfect,  as  at  this  rate  the  motions 
of  our  wills  would  be  beyond  his  government  and  out  of  his 
power.  It  must  then  be  said  that  he  did  not  certainly  foresee, 
either  the  future  motions  of  our  wills,  or  the  effects  which  de- 
pended on  them,  as  according  to  this  supposition  they  are  all 
doubtful  and  uncertain  until  the  will  has  determined,  and  it  is 
clear  that  of  a  thing  uncertain  in  itself  the  knowledge  cannot 
be  certain.  We  must  then  deify  the  will  of  man,  as  this  opin- 
ion makes  him  .supreme  and  independent  with  respect  to  God 
himself.  We  must  then  abolish  the  use  of  the  greater  part  of 
the  exhortations,  prayers,  and  thanksgivings,  that  is  to  say, 
the  principal  part  of  religion.  For  of  what  use  are  exhorta- 
tions, if  all  the  light  that  they  throw  into  the  understanding 
has  no  effect  upon  the  will,  and  leaves  it  as  undecided  as  it  was 
at  the  beginning,  all  its  motions  depending  on  its  own  caprice, 
and  not  on  any  reason  ?  And  if  it  is  not  the  hand  of  God,  but 
the  blind  impetuosity  of  the  will,  which  decides  for  good,  how 
and  wherefore  shall  we  pray  the  Lord  to  turn  us  from  evil,  and 
incline  and  soften  us  towards  good?  Or  how  and  why  shall 
we  give  him  thanks  that  he  has  sanctified  and  separated  us 
from  those  who  perish  ?  and  how  shall  we  give  him,  with  the 
ancient  church  in  one  of  the  collects,  the  praise  "  of  having 
forced  our  wills,  rebels  as  we  were,  to  turn  to  him?"  Un- 
doubtedly it  is  a  lie  to  praise  him  for  that  which  he  has  not 
done  ;  and  it  is  folly  to  ask  that  of  him  which  he  neither  will 
nor  can  do  for  us.  If  we  will  then  preserve  faith  in  the  provi- 
dence, foreknowledge,  and  sovereignty  of  God  ;  if  we  will  en- 
tirely retain  the  holy  and  salutary  use  of  exhortations,  prayers, 
and  thanksgivings  ;  let  us  fly  and  reject  this  arrogant  error, 
and  humbly  give  God  the  glory  of  having  efficaciously  worked 
in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do. 

III.  That  nothing  may  be  wanting  to  our  blessedness,  let  us 
add,  with  the  apostle,  that  the  Lord  has  done  it  according  to 
his  good  pleasure,  that- this  is  the  only  motive  which  induced 
him  to  bestow  upon  us  so  much  good.  The  actions  of  God  on 
his  creatures  are  of  two  kinds.  Of  some,  the  reason  appears 
in  the  subjects  themselves  on  which  he  displays  them  ;  and 
others  not.  For  example,  the  faith  of  the  repenting  sinner  is 
the  reason  for  which  he  justifies  and  saves  him  ;  the  unbelief 
of  the  impenitent  is  the  reason  for  which  he  condemns  him. 
When  these  are  spoken  of,  there  is  no  need  to  allege  the  good 
pleasure  of  God,  the  reason  of  his  work  being  seen  in  the  thing 
itself.  Thus  you  will  not  find  that  the  apostle  has  recourse  to 
it,  when  he  treats  of  the  justification  of  man.  But  when  we  do 
not  see  in  the  things  any  cause  which  has  moved  God  to  treat 
them  as  he  does,  there  we  are  forced  to  adore  his  judgments, 
and  to  believe  that  he  does  it  because  it  is  his  will.     As  when 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  207 

we  consider  that,  of  all  the  people  of  the  world,  he  chose  Israel, 
who  were  in  nothing  better  or  more  excellent  than  others,  we 
are  obliged  to  come  to  this,  that  he  acted  thus  because  it  was 
his  good  pleasure.     It  is  this  good  pleasure  that  the  apostle 
here  alleges  as  the  reason  of  the  grace  that  God  gives  us,  in 
working  in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do.     And  elsewhere  in  treat- 
ing of  this  mystery,  he  speaks  again  to  the  same  effect,  when  he 
says  he  has  "  predestinated  us  to  the  adoption  of  children  by 
Jesus  Christ,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  his  will,"  Eph. 
i.  5.     And  our  Lord  in  like  manner,  "Thou  hast  (says  he  to 
his  Father)  hidden  these  things,"  the  mysteries  of  his  gospel, 
"from  the  wise   and  prudent,  and  hast   revealed  them   unto 
babes  ;  even  so,  Father,  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight," 
Matt.  xi.  25.     And  it  is  this  same  good  pleasure  the  apostle 
means,  when,  speaking  of  the  illumination  of  the  Gentiles  in 
the  gospel,  he  says,  "  that  God  would  make  known  to  them 
what  is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this  mystery,  which  is   in 
Christ,"  Col.  i.  27  ;  and  James  likewise,  when  he  says,  "  that 
God  of  his  own  will  hath  begotten  us  by  the  word  of  his  truth, 
that  we  might  be  the  first-fruits  of  his  creatures,"  James  i.  18. 
From  which  it  follows,  in  the  first  place,  that  it  is  not  the  con- 
sideration of  anything  that  is  in  us  which  moved  the  Lord  to 
call  us  and  convert  us  to  the  knowledge  of  himself.     And  thus 
it  entirely  crushes  the  presumption  of  those  who  found  this 
election  and  preference  of  believers,  either  on  their  merit  of 
congruity,  as  they  call  it,  or  on  the  disposition  of  their  heart, 
subdued,  softened,  and  prepared  by  affliction,  before  the  period 
of  their  calling,  or  upon  the  good  use  of  their  free-will,  foreseen 
by  the  Lord  in  the  light  of  his  foreknowledge.     For  if  God 
called  men  to  himself  for  any  one  of  these  reasons,  there  could 
be  no  cause  for  assigning  it  to  his  good  pleasure.     The  reason 
for  which  he  would  have  given  them  his  grace,  rather  than  to 
others,  would  have  been  quite  evident  ;  there  being  no  one 
who  will  deny  that  he  who  merits  ought  to  be  preferred  to 
him  who  does  not  ;  and  that  he  who  is  dejected  and  humbled, 
to  him  who  remains  haughty  and  proud  ;  and  he  whose  will  is 
inclined  to  good,  to  him  who  has  not  been  stopped  in  his  love 
of  evil.     But  from  hence  again  appears,  in  the  second  place, 
the  truth  which  we  have  previously  declared,  namely,  that  the 
effect  of  the  work  of  God  in  us  does  not  in  any  way  depend  on 
the  movements  of  our  will.     For  if  it  were  so,  it  would  pro- 
duce in  us  to  will  and  to  do,  not  according  to  the  good  plea- 
sure of  God,  as  the  apostle  says,  but  according  to  our  own. 
But  here  the  adversaries  arise,  and  pretend  that  if  it  be  the 
good  pleasure  of  God  alone  which  distinguishes  those  whom 
he   calls    from    those   whom    he   does   not   call,  at   this    rate 
there  will  be  accepting  of  persons  ;  giving  unequally  to  objects 
that  are  equal,  converting  one  sinner  and  not  another.     To 


208  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XII. 

which  I  reply,  that  this  by  no  means  follows.  For  he  does 
what  he  will  with  his  own  ;  and  owing  nothing  to  any,  gives 
to  him  whom  he  pleases  without  injustice.  As  when  among  a 
great  number  of  poor,  we  give  alms  to  some,  and  not  to  others, 
he  to  whom  we  do  give  them  has  reason  to  thank  us,  and  he  to 
whom  we  do  not  give  them  has  no  right  to  complain.  We 
have  satisfied  one,  but  we  have  done  no  wrong  to  another,  be- 
cause we  owed  nothing  to  either.  Thus  is  it  with  the  Lord  in 
respect  to  men.  Criminals  and  sinners,  they  all  deserve  death, 
and  were  he  to  leave  all  in  the  perdition  in  which  he  finds 
them,  none  could  accuse  him  either  of  injustice  or  rigour. 
Those  whom  he  snatches  from  this  gulf  are  bound  to  acknow- 
ledge that  he  does  them  a  wonderful  favour.  Those  to  whom 
he  does  not  give  similar  grace  cannot  without  injustice  impute 
their  misery  to  him  ;  and  so  much  the  more,  that  he  does  not 
entirely  forsake  them,  but  presents  them  his  word,  invites  and 
calls  them  to  himself,  and  receives  them  if  they  listen  to  him. 
When  instead  of  yielding  him  so  right  and  reasonable  a  duty, 
they  proudly  reject  all  his  exhortations  and  warnings,  scofî'  at 
his  voice,  insult  his  servants,  abhor  piety,  and  give  themselves 
up  to  vice,  of  whom  can  they  complain  but  of  themselves,  who 
knowingly  and  willingly  precipitate  themselves  into  perdition 
by  their  rebellion  against  so  good  and  powerful  a  Lord  ?  I 
acknowledge  that  if  he  had  not  displayed  on  us  the  work  of 
his  marvellous  grace,  by  which  he  worked  in  us  both  to  will 
and  to  do,  we  should  have  valued  it  no  more  than  others  ;  and 
I  acknowledge  further,  that  had  he  been  pleased  to  act  in  them 
as  in  us,  he  had  worked  in  their  hearts  to  will  and  to  do  as 
well  as  in  ours.  But  still  I  maintain,  that  although  the  grace 
that  he  has  given  us  is  the  cause  of  our  salvation,  it  is  not  right 
to  say,  that  because  he  has  deprived  them  of  it  is,  properly 
speaking,  the  cause  of  their  perdition.  It  is  their  sin  and  their 
wickedness.  They  feel  it  so  in  themselves,  and  will  one  day 
publicly  acknowledge  it  to  their  shame.  For  what  other 
power  leads  them  to  rebel  against  God,  than  that  of  their  own 
evil  lusts?  What  violence  plunges  them  into  vice,  but  that 
of  their  own  passions  ?  Who  is  it  shuts  the  eyes  and  ears  of 
their  minds,  if  it  be  not  the  love  of  the  world  and  the  flesh  ? 
But  if  you  desire  still  further  to  enter  into  the  mystery  of  God, 
and  if,  throwing  down  the  respect  due  to  the  counsels  of  such 
supreme  Majesty,  you  require,  at  all  hazards,  that  I  should  tell 
you  why  he  acts  so  with  some  that  he  has  gained  and  persuaded, 
and  in  another  way  with  others  that  he  has  not  so  persuaded  ; 
I  will  say  to  you,  with  St.  Augustine,  that  I  have  but  two 
things  to  reply  thereupon  :  the  one,  "  0  the  depth  of  the  riches 
both  of  the  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God  !  how  unsearchable 
are  his  judgments,  and  his  ways  past  finding  out  !"  Korn.  xi.  33  ; 
and  the  other.  "  Is  there  unrighteousness  with  God  ?     God  for- 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  209 

bid,"  Eom.  ix.  14.  If  this  answer  does  not  content  you,  seek 
some  more  learned  persons,  but  take  care  that  instead  of  know- 
ledge you  do  not  find  presumption. 

This  is  where  I  shall  end,  dear  brethren,  after  having  briefly 
touched  on  the  principal  lessons  that  we  have  drawn  from  the 
doctrine  of  the  apostle  for  our  edification.  He  teaches  us  that 
God  is  the  sole  author  of  our  conversion,  working  in  us  with 
power  both  to  will  and  to  do  according  to  his  good  pleasure. 
You  then,  christian  souls,  who  have  had  the  courage  to  em- 
brace the  gospel,  and  the  happiness  of  enjoying  this  holy  lio-ht, 
which  sows  even  in  this  world  peace  and  joy  in  our  hearts,  and 
in  the  other  will  crown  us  with  glory  and  immortality,  see 
with  what  warmth  you  ought  to  love  the  author  of  such  a  great 
and  marvellous  blessing.  He  has  not  only  given  to  you,  as 
to  others,  a  body,  mind,  will,  and  earthly  life,  with  every- 
thing necessary  to  support  it  here  below.  He  has  not  only 
drawn  you  from  those  depths  of  error  in  which  idolaters  live. 
He  has  not  only  caused  his  word  to  sound  in  your  ears,  and 
presented  his  light  to  your  eyes.  He  has  done  much  more 
than  that.  Extending  from  heaven  that  same  hand  which  cre- 
ated the  universe,  and  raised  Jesus  Christ  from  the  dead,  he 
has  enlightened  your  understandings,  and  softened  your  wills; 
and  planted  the  cross  of  his  Son  in  your  hearts,  opening  them 
at  the  preaching  of  his  ministers,  and  himself  producing  with 
power  this  "  to  will  and  to  do"  which  you  ask.  What  then 
henceforth  should  these  understandings,  enlightened  with  the 
light  of  God,  think  or  meditate  upon,  but  upon  his  wonders 
and  his  mysteries  ?  What  ought  these  wills,  freed  by  the  hand 
of  the  Lord,  henceforth  to  love,  but  the  goodness  of  their  great 
Liberator  ? 

And  what  consolation,  what  joy,  and  what  assurance  ought 
you  to  have  for  the  future  !  You  carry  the  work  of  God  in 
your  bosom,  the  labour  of  his  hand,  the  production  of  his 
Spirit,  the  inviolable  seal  of  your  salvation.  What  can  you 
refuse  to  him  who  has  lavished  on  you  so  many  wonders,  who 
has  so  many  efforts  and  exploits  of  his  power  which  he  does  in 
spite  of  yourselves  in  your  favour  still  to  add  to  those  of  which 
the  interior  of  your  heart  is  the  subject  and  the  witness  ?  But, 
believers,  if  I  command  your  gratitude  and  joy,  I  do  not  per 
mit  presumption.  Look  at  the  gifts  of  God  ;  consider  with  de 
light  what  he  has  done  for  you  and  in  you;  but  do  not  becomo 
proud  of  them.  Believe  that  of  all  these  gifts  that  you  enjoy 
there  is  not  a  single  one  but  what  is  an  alms  of  God.  Believe 
that  it  is  he  who  has  worked  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do  ; 
both  the  smallest  sparks  of  piety,  and  the  noblest  conflicts 
that  you  have  endured  for  it  ;  that  in  this  respect  there  is  no- 
thing in  you  either  great  or  small  that  does  not  come  from 
him,  that  does  not  call  upon  you  to  bow  the  head,  and  walk 
27 


210  AN   EXPOSITION   OP  [SERM.  XII. 

before  him  with  fear  and  trembling.  Beware  also  of  the  secu- 
rity of  those  who  flatter  themselves  and  are  satisfied  that  they 
are  the  children  of  God,  under  the  pretence  that  they  make  a 
profession  of  being  so.  None  are  his  children  but  those  whom 
he  has  begotten,  in  whom  he  has  put  his  Spirit  and  life,  and  in 
whom  (as  the  apostle  says)  he  has  worked  to  will  and  to  do. 
He  does  not  only  say,  to  will,  he  adds,  to  do.  Those  transient 
emotions  of  piety  which  you  sometimes  feel  arising  in  your 
hearts,  and  which  disappear  as  it  were  almost  in  the  same  in- 
stant, are  not  the  whole  work  of  God  in  his  faithful  people  ;  he 
brings  their  wills  into  the  obedience  of  his  Son.  He  crucifies 
their  flesh  ;  he  suppresses,  or,  to  speak  more  properly,  he  mor- 
tifies, their  lusts  and  passions.  Judge  with  what  right  you 
pretend  to  be  creatures  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ,  you  who,  in- 
stead of  his  will,  only  fulfil  that  of  the  flesh  and  of  the  world  ; 
you  who  are  enticed  by  the  vanities  of  earth  and  the  follies  of 
time,  as  slaves,  into  the  most  infamous  exercise  of  your  most 
miserable  slavery.  One  sighs  after  gold  and  silver  ;  another  after 
the  sinful  lusts  of  the  flesh.  One  runs  after  ambition  ;  another 
serves  some  other  idol.  And  is  that,  christians,  the  will  that 
God  works  with  power  in  the  hearts  of  his  children  ?  Is  this 
the  fixed  will  that  he  gives  them,  so  constant,  so  firm,  and  al- 
ways followed  by  its  effects  ?  Is  this  all  the  success  of  the 
great  efforts  of  his  Spirit  and  of  the  power  which  he  displays 
on  his  own  ?  But  how  is  it  that  you  do  not  perceive  that  these 
are  rather  the  productions  of  Satan  than  the  works  of  God  ? 
And  how  is  it  that  you  do  not  tremble  at  seeing  the  enemy  so 
powerful  in  you,  master  of  your  wills,  and  absolute  tyrant  of 
vour  hearts,  which  he  fills  with  his  desires,  and  acts  there  with 
the  same  efficacy  as  in  the  children  of  disobedience  ?  In  the 
name  of  God,  forsake  your  error,  awake  from  this  great  stupe- 
faction ;  drive  from  your  hearts  such  unjust  and  dishonest  in- 
clinations. Receive  in  them  the  will  of  God,  which  alone  is 
good,  salutary,  and  holy.  Pray  to  him  that  he  would  display 
his  all-powerful  hand  upon  you,  that  he  would  extinguish  the 
fire  of  the  enemy,  that  he  would  create  a  pure  heart  and  renew 
a  rio-ht  spirit  within  you,  and  that  he  would  work  with  power 
in  you  both  to  will  and  'to  do  according  to  his  good  pleasure. 
Amen. 
Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  10th  Feb.  1641. 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  211 

SERMON  XIII. 

VERSES   14,  15. 

Do  all  things  without  murmurings  and  disputings  :  that  ye  may 
be  blameless  and  harmless*  the  sons  of  God,  without  rebuke,  in 
the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation,  among  whom 
ye  shine  as  lights  in  the  world  ;  holding  forth  the  word  of  life. 

Dear  brethren,  among  all  the  christian  virtues,  there  is 
hardly  one  that  is  more  necessary  or  more  useful  than  humi- 
lity ;  and  if  you  will  seriously  consider  its  nature,  you  will 
find  that  it  is  either  the  mother  or  nurse  of  all  the  others.  It 
works  in  us  patience  in  adversity,  and  modesty  in  prosperity. 
It  disposes  us  more  powerfully  to  obey  God  and  love  men. 
It  preserves  in  our  souls  both  the  light  of  faith  and  the  fire  of 
love.  It  plants  in  them  the  peace  of  heaven  and  tranquillity 
of  mind.  It  both  founds  and  preserves  the  hopes  of  the  world 
to  come,  and  defends  us  against  the  temptation  of  that  which 
now  is.  It  covers  us  like  a  large  buckler,  so  that  neither 
Satan  nor  the  world  can  obtain  any  advantage  over  us.  As 
by  humility  Jesus  Christ  obtained  eternal  salvation,  so  also  by 
it  do  we  enter  upon  and  possess  it.  This  heavenly  virtue  pre- 
sides over  all  this  miraculous  work.  It  governs  its  beginning, 
its  progress,  and  its  end.  This  is  the  reason  why  the  holy 
apostle  recommends  it  with  so  much  care  to  the  Philippians, 
and  through  them  to  all  other  believers.  You  have  herein 
before  seen  the  exertions  he  has  made  to  plant  it  in  our  souls, 
proposing  it  to  us  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour,  both  as  a  most 
perfect  example,  and  as  an  unheard-of  reward  ;  and  adding 
still,  in  the  last  text  that  we  have  discoursed  upon,  a  very 
powerful  reason  drawn  from  this,  that  all  the  good  that  is  in 
us,  whether  to  undertake  or  to  execute  the  plan  of  godliness, 
is  a  gift  and  a  work  of  the  pure  grace  of  God,  which  works  in 
us  with  power  both  to  will  and  to  do  according  to  his  good 
pleasure.  Now  after  having  established  humility  among  the 
Philippians,  he  makes  it  act,  representing  to  them  in  the  verses 
that  you  have  heard  some  of  its  duties,  and,  concluding  this 
doctrine  by  a  beautiful  and  magnificent  exhortation  to  the 
pursuit  of  a  rare  and  singular  holiness  worthy  of  the  name 
they  bore,  and  of  the  end  for  which  God  had  created  them  in 
his  Son.  The  duties  which  he  recommends  to  them  as  neces- 
sarily flowing  from  humility  are  contained  in  these  words, 
"  Do  all  things  without  murmurings  and  disputings  :  that  ye 

*  Ft.  "  without  reproach  and  simple." 


212  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XIII. 

may  be  blameless  and  harmless  ;"  and  the  general  exhortation 
to  holiness  which,  he  adds  is  comprised  in  these,  "that  ye  may 
be  children  of  God,  without  rebuke,  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked 
and  perverse  generation,  among  whom  ye  shine  as  lights  in 
the  world;  holding  forth  the  word  of  life."  We  will  examine 
all  this  in  this  discourse,  if  it  please  the  Lord.  And,  that  we 
may  proceed  regularly,  we  will  consider,  in  the  first  place,  the 
prohibition  which  he  gives  us  against  murmuring  and  dis- 
puting ;  secondly,  the  commandment  which  he  adds  to  it,  to  be 
holy,  and  without  reproach  ;  and  in  the  third  and  last  place, 
the  reasons  with  which  he  enforces  this  exhortation,  drawn 
both  from  our  character  as  children  of  God,  and  from  the 
office  to  which  the  Lord  has  consecrated  us  as  lights  of  the 
world. 

I.  He  commands  us  then  at  the  beginning  to  "  do  all  things 
without  murmurings  and  disputings,"  where  it  is  evident  that 
by  the  "all  things"  of  which  he  speaks,  he  means  those  things 
which  regard  religion,  and  the  obedience  that  we  owe  to  God, 
the  whole  of  the  christian  life  :  desiring  that  we  should  serve 
the  Lord  and  edify  our  neighbours  cheerfully  and  willingly, 
without  any  thought  arising  in  our  heart,  or  any  word  coming 
out  of  our  mouth,  either  contrary  to  a  heavenly  disposition, 
or  to  the  good  and  usefulness  of  men.  For  the  flesh  with 
which  we  are  clothed,  loving  naturally  its  thoughts,  its  ease, 
and  its  convenience,  it  often  happens  that  when  the  duties  of 
Christianity  oppose  it,  it  objects,  either  secretly  or  openly  ;  so 
that  although  the  authority  of  God  forces  us  to  obey  him,  yet 
we  only  do  so  by  constraint,  complaining  of  our  condition, 
and  of  the  judgment  which  condemns  us  to  it.  This  resist- 
ance takes  place  sometimes  solely  in  our  hearts,  secretly 
thwarting  the  work  of  God,  without  bursting  out  into  a  formal 
opposition  to  his  will  ;  sometimes  it  goes  further,  and  even 
doubts  the  truth  or  justice  of  the  duties  which  it  prescribes  to 
lis.  Paul  here  calls  the  first  murmuring,  and  the  second  dis- 
puting, and  banishes  both  from  the  life  of  true  believers,  as  the 
plague  and  ruin  of  piety,  a  commencement  of  disobedience, 
and  a  seed  of  rebellion.  Besides,  I  would  extend  them  gene- 
rally to  all  complainings  and  disputings,  whether  against  God 
or  men.  Against  God,  when  we  have  the  boldness  to  call  in 
question,  and  to  find  fault  either  with  the  doctrine  that  he  has 
given  us,  as  if  it  contained  something  false,  or  with  his  provi- 
dence in  the  guidance  of  our  life,  as  if  it  were  unjust  or  un- 
reasonable. Against  men,  when  we  judge  them,  their  morals 
and  their  actions,  rashly  and  inconsiderately,  condemning  them 
without  cause,  opposing  them,  and  even  coming  to  debatings 
and  quarrellings  with  them.  Paul,  in  1  Cor.  x.  sets  before  us 
an  example  of  the  first  kind  of  murmuring  drawn  from  the 
ancient  Israelites,  who  murmured  so  many  times  in  the  wilder- 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  213 

ness  against  the  Lord  and  his  servants,  foolishly  blaming  the 
counsel  of  God  and  his  conduct,  and  insultingly  complaining 
of  the  way  in  which  he  treated  them,  as  if  he  had  done  them 
a  great  injury  in  delivering  them  from  Egypt,  and  leading 
them  to  Canaan  :  "  Wherefore  hath  he  brought  us  into  this 
land  (say  they)  to  fall  by  the  sword  ;  were  it  not  better  for  us 
to  return  into  Egypt  ?"  Numb.  xiv.  3.  It  appeared  to  them  an 
injustice  to  detain  them  so  long  in  that  frightful  wilderness 
where  they  were  wandering,  and  to  expose  them  to  so  many 
dangers  and  battles,  before  permitting  them  to  enter  into  the 
promised  land.  And  although,  in  reading  their  history,  we 
cannot  help  detesting  their  presumptuous  fury,  and  their  in- 
gratitude, still  we  must  acknowledge  that  we  ourselves  often 
fall  into  their  murmurings.  For  how  many  christians  are  there 
who  are  displeased  with  the  Lord's  ways  in  the  guidance  of 
their  lives  !  who  will  freely  say  to  him,  like  some  of  his  ancient 
people,  Wherefore  dost  thou  treat  us  so  sadly  in  this  wilder- 
ness ?  Wherefore  dost  thou  feed  us  with  such  poor  and  light 
bread  ?  Why  dost  thou  provide  so  little  for  us  ?  We  are  in 
continual  fears,  in  the  midst  of  serpents  and  venomous  crea- 
tures, surrounded  on  all  sides  with  the  swords  of  our  enemies. 
What  is  the  use  of  this  heavy  cross  under  which  we  groan  ? 
Would  it  not  be  better  if  thou  wert  to  lead  us  to  the  inherit- 
ance that  thou  hast  promised  us  by  a  pleasant  and  agreeable 
road,  strewed  with  flowers,  and  abounding  with  pleasures  ?  To 
these  general  murmurs  each  adds  his  own  peculiar  complaint  ; 
one  asking  God  the  reason  of  the  poverty  into  which  he  is 
plunged  ;  another,  of  the  sicknesses  wherewith  he  is  afflicted  : 
some,  of  the  persecutions  they  endure  ;  others,  of  the  ill  suc- 
cess of  their  designs  :  one,  of  the  death  of  his  children  ;  another, 
of  their  life:  one,  of  sterility;  another,  of  fecundity:  and  all 
pretending  that  if  there  be  not  injustice,  at  any  rate  there  is 
no  reason  for  his  treating  them  thus;  and  that  if  it  were  not 
necessary,  at  least  it  would  have  been  more  suitably  ordered 
otherwise. 

It  often  happens  also  that  we  murmur  against  the  truth  of 
God,  whether  for  the  things  themselves  which  are  set  forth,  or 
for  the  manner  in  which  they  are  taught.  Such  was  the  mur- 
mur of  the  people  of  Capernaum,  of  whom  John  tells  us  in 
his  Gospel  ;  who,  offended  because  the  Lord  declared  that  he 
is  the  bread  that  came  down  from  heaven,  said,  "  Is  not  this 
Jesus  the  son  of  Joseph,  whose  father  and  mother  we  know  ?" 
John  vi.  42.  Some  among  his  own  disciples  allowed  them- 
selves to  be  carried  away  with  the  same  fault  :  "  This  is  a  hard 
saying,  (say  they,)  who  can  hear  it  ?"  John  vi.  60.  Thus  we 
every  day  see  people  who  murmur  ;  some,  against  the  predes- 
tination of  God,  which  the  apostle  teaches  us  ;  others,  against 
the  incarnation,  or  the  propitiation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 


214  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  XIII. 

and  against  divers  other  articles  of  his  wholesome  doctrine. 
From  hence  arise  the  blasphemies,  the  heresies,  the  schisms, 
and  the  rebellions  of  men.  Murmuring  is  the  grain  from 
whence  spring  all  these  miseries.  They  first  induce  doubt  and 
irresolution,  then  debate  and  dispute,  afterwards,  aided  by  pas- 
sion, bring  all  kinds  of  evil  into  the  world.  And  as  it  is  a 
crime  full  of  horror,  which  attacks  the  majesty  of  God,  and 
insults  it  in  its  tenderest  part,  it  rarely  remains  unpunished. 
You  know  how  he  formerly  chastised  in  a  fearful  manner  the 
murmurs  of  the  ancient  people,  causing  them  to  be  destroyed 
of  the  destroyer  ;  as  Paul  expressly  remarks,  1  Cor.  x.  10. 
At  this  time,  under  the  New  Testament,  it  is  still  more  severe 
against  this  species  of  sin,  as  we  have  less  cause  to  commit  it. 
Thus  those  who  murmur  are  often  left  to  a  reprobate  mind, 
God  giving  them  up  to  a  spirit  of  folly,  error,  and  seduction, 
which  either  precipitates  them  into  atheism,  or  into  supersti- 
tion, or  into  some  other  of  those  frightful  abysses  in  which  the 
wicked  perish.  Let  us  then  fly,  beloved  brethren,  let  us  fly 
from  so  dangerous  and  so  deadly  a  plague  ;  let  us  fly  from  the 
presence  and  the  breath  of  those  who  are  infected  with  it. 
May  it  never  happen  to  us  either  to  utter  or  to  listen  to  any 
murmur  against  the  truth,  or  against  the  providence  of  our 
good  God.  Let  us  adore  all  the  mysteries  both  of  his  word 
and  of  his  judgments  with  profound  submission. 

To  keep  us  from  this  fault,  in  the  first  place,  let  us  meditate 
on  his  word  with  extreme  care,  separating  diligently  the  truth 
which  it  presents  from  that  which  men  have  added  to  it  of 
their  own  imagination.  For  I  acknowledge  that  there  are  a 
great  many  things  which  the  world  would  pass  for  the  word 
of  God,  against  which  murmuring  is  just  and  complaint  law- 
ful, as  they  oppose,  not  merely  the  flesh  and  its  interests,  but 
right  reason  and  true  piety.  But  when  once  it  appears  to  us 
that  a  doctrine  is  truly  and  really  taught  in  the  word  of  God, 
then  we  must  receive  it  with  respect.  Murmuring  is  no  longer 
permitted.  If  the  flesh  be  opposed  to  it,  let  us  stifle  its 
thoughts  and  slay  its  motions.  If  reason  alleges  that  she  does 
not  understand  it,  that  she  finds  nothing  in  her  own  know- 
ledge by  which  it  can  be  proved  ;  let  us  remember  how  weak 
our  reason  is,  and  in  how  many  natural  things,  the  most  com- 
mon and  usual,  she  is  at  a  loss.  Let  us  establish  the  belief  of 
the  divinity  of  the  scriptures  in  our  hearts  by  a  continual 
meditation  of  the  arguments  that  God  has  given  us  in  the 
wonders  of  their  disposition,  of  their  subject,  of  their  order, 
and  of  their  style  ;  in  the  predictions  which  he  has  scattered 
here  and  there;  in  the  knowledge  of  the  holiness,  of  the  mira- 
cles, and  of  the  truth  of  the  prophets  and  apostles,  who  are 
its  writers  ;  and  finally,  in  the  effects  that  this  heavenly  doc- 
trine has  produced,  and  that  it  still  produces  every  day  on  the 


CIIAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  215 

earth,  creating  and  preserving  there  a  new  people,  in  spite  of 
the  efforts  of  Satan  and  the  world.  This  thought  will  easily 
repress  all  our  murmurings.  For  when  God  speaks,  it  is  for 
man  to  listen,  and  to  submit  his  mind  to  the  voice  of  so  glo- 
rious a  Majesty.  And  as  to  his  providence  in  the  guidance  of 
our  life,  if  we  have  well  understood  the  teachings  of  his  word, 
neither  shall  we  find  any  thing  to  say  against  it.  I  will  not 
allege  to  you  here  that  the  potter  does  what  he  will  with  his 
clay,  and  that  we  are  infinitely  more  beneath  God  than  the  clay 
is  beneath  the  potter.  But  I  will  say,  that  even  to  examine 
these  things  by  the  rules  of  gentleness  and  equity,  there  is  no 
father  whose  goodness  and  tenderness  towards  his  children 
does  not  permit  him  to  use  whatever  we  may  find  harsh  in  the 
conduct  of  the  Lord  towards  us.  For  I  would  ask,  Does  the 
father  wrong  his  child  when  he  chastises  him  ;  when  he  tries 
him  ;  when  he  fashions  him  to  true  worthiness  by  hard  and 
laborious  exercises  ;  when  he  keeps  him  from  wine  and  dice, 
and  all  the  other  instruments  of  debauchery?  Where  is  the 
sensible  man  who  does  not  see,  that  this  rigour  in  a  father  of 
which  the  child  complains  is  in  truth  kindness  and  goodness, 
that  it  is  the  chief  of  his  favours,  and  the  most  valuable  of  all 
his  attentions  ?  And  why  then  do  you  find  it  strange  that 
God,  the  eternal  Father  of  our  spirits,  to  make  us  good  peo- 
ple, worthy  of  his  name  and  heaven,  should  cause  us  to  under- 
go his  discipline?  Even  if  we  had  no  inclination  to  vice,  still 
it  would  be  suitable  for  his  glory  and  our  praise,  to  make  our 
virtue  appear  and  shine,  which  can  only  do  so  in  those  con- 
flicts and  trials  which  weary  us.  But  being  full  of  evil  habits, 
of  pride,  luxury,  and  effeminacy,  having  a  nature  so  prone  to 
debauchery,  that  the  slightest  opportunity  tempts  it,  and  the 
least  prosperity  renders  it  insupportable,  have  we  any  right  to 
complain  that  God  takes  from  us  the  allurements  and  food  of 
our  vices?  Believers,  consider  the  troubles  that  your  crimes 
deserve.  Consider  the  inclination  that  you  have  for  sin.  Ex- 
amine the  fruits  of  afflictions,  modesty,  repentance,  disgust 
with  the  world,  and  the  desire  of  heaven  ;  their  utility  in  for- 
warding the  glory  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  edifying  men,  and  in  as- 
suring your  own  commendation;  and,  far  from  murmuring 
against  God,  you  will  thank  him  for  having  treated  you  in 
such  a  way,  and  you  will  acknowledge  that  nothing  more  just, 
nothing  more  excellent  or  more  divine,  could  be  devised,  than 
the  conduct  which  he  employs  towards  his  people.  If 
in  the  circumstances  of  your  life,  or  in  those  of  your 
brethren,  something  should  occur,  the  reason  of  which  you 
do  not  perceive,  remember  that  though  you  may  be  igno- 
rant of  it,  you  are  not  on  that  account  to  say  that  there  is  none. 
Allow  that  God  is  wiser  than  you,  and  that  there  is  something 
in  his  ways  which  is  above  your  comprehension.     Have  at 


216  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIII. 

least  as  much  deference  for  this  supreme  Monarch  as  you  every 
day  yield  to  the  counsels  of  the  kings  and  princes  of  the  earth, 
whose  orders  you  often  respect,  although  you  cannot  penetrate 
into  their  reason.  But  the  apostle  means  that  we  should  use 
this  modesty  likewise  towards  our  brethren,  and  not  only 
towards  God;  that  we  should  have  for  them  also  equity  and 
respect;  that  we  should  not  hastily  condemn  their  proceedings. 
Let  us  consider,  that  we  shall  be  judged  ourselves  as  we  have 
judged  others;  that  we  should  not  put  all  on  the  same  level 
in  their  differences  with  us  ;  that  we  should  endure  their  weak- 
nesses even  in  the  faith,  being  truly  but  infirmities,  without 
murmuring,  without  complaining  of  them;  like  some  who 
move  heaven  and  earth  about  things  indifferent,  who  trouble 
weak  consciences  with  endless  questions  and  debates,  and  who 
are  possessed  of  such  a  morbid  sensibility,  that  they  thunder 
at  and  anathematize  all  errors  equally.  I  say  the  same  in  civil 
life,  in  which  we  ought  to  eonduct  ourselves  towards  men, 
whether  within  or  without  the  church,  with  gentleness  and  pa- 
tience. If  it  sometimes  appear  that  they  yield  to  us  or  to 
others  less  friendship,  or  respect  than  they  ought,  if  even  occa- 
sionally instead  of  good  they  render  us  evil  offices,  it  is  ex- 
pedient that  we  regard  them  in  the  most  favourable  light,  not 
imputing  it  as  a  crime,  but  as  a  last  alternative;  and  even  then 
we  must  do  it  in  so  temperate  a  manner,  that  in  showing  them 
their  fault,  and  prosecuting  our  right,  we  may  neither  fall  into 
murmurings  nor  disputings.  And  this  is  principally  required 
in  that  which  regards  either  our  superiors  in  the  state  or  in 
the  church,  or  at  any  rate  our  equals.  For  it  is  chiefly  in  our 
conduct  towards  those  that  murmurings  and  disputings  or 
quarrellings  take  place.  As,  for  example,  if  it  happen  that 
the  magistrates  issue  some  order  which  offends  us,  or  that  a 
pastor  in  the  church  does  not  preach  or  conduct  himself  to  our 
liking.  It  is  in  this  and  similar  subjects  that  the  apostle  for- 
bids us  to  murmur.  But  as  for  those  who  are  subject  to  us, 
you  see  clearly  that  the  remonstrances  and  complaints  that  we 
make  of  their  faults,  and  the  resistance  that  we  oppose  to 
them,  cannot  be  called  murmurs  ;  neither  can  the  lawsuits,  by 
which  we  prosecute  our  rights  modestly  and  in  a  christian-like 
manner  before  the  tribunals  of  our  superiors,  whether  ecclesi- 
astics or  secular,  against  those  who  desire  unjustly  and  obsti- 
nately to  violate  them. 

II.  But  after  having  forbidden  us  to  murmur  or  to  dispute, 
the  apostle  adds,  "  that  ye  may  be  without  reproach,  and  sim- 
ple." In  which  you  see  he  directs  two  things  ;  the  one,  that 
we  should  be  without  reproach,  or  blameless  ;  and  the  other, 
that  we  should  be  simple.  The  first  of  these  directions  obliges 
us  to  a  perfect  honesty,  justice,  gentleness,  and  equity  in  our 
whole  conversation,  so  that  none  may  have  occasion  to  com- 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  217 

plain  of  us,  or  to  accuse  us  of  having  failed  in  any  of  the  du- 
ties of  charity  or  meekness  of  which  we  make  profession. 
This  is  the  testimony  the  Holy  Spirit  bears  to  Zacharias  and 
to  Elisabeth  his  wife,  "that  they  were  both  righteous  before 
God,  walking  in  all  the  statutes  and  ordinances  of  the  Lord 
blameless,"  Luke  i.  6.  It  is  true,  that  in  this  place  the  apostle 
principally  regards  our  conduct  towards  our  neighbour,  oppo- 
sing the  duty  which  he  requires  of  us,  to  the  murmurings  and 
disputings  from  which  arise  the  greater  part  of  those  com- 
plaints men  make  to  us,  and  reproaches  which  they  cast  upon 
us.  He  desires,  then,  that  we  should  so  conduct  ourselves  to- 
wards them  that  they  should  have  nothing  to  find  fault  with  in 
our  manners  :  that  superiors  should  receive  honour  and  submis- 
sion from  us  ;  inferiors,  care,  watchfulness,  and  love  ;  equals,  af- 
fection and  cordial  friendship  ;  the  poor,  the  aid  of  charity  ;  the 
afflicted,  the  soothings  of  compassion  ;  those  who  oblige  us, 
gratitude  ;  those  who  insult  us,  meekness  ;  the  old,  respect  ; 
the  young,  concord  ;  the  learned,  docility  ;  the  ignorant,  in- 
struction ;  the  infirm,  support  ;  those  who  are  without,  the  at- 
tractions of  piety;  those  who  are  within,  the  intercourse  of 
union  ;  and  all  in  general,  purity  of  actions,  honesty  of  words, 
gentleness  of  mind,  courage  and  vigour  in  adversity,  modesty 
and  propriety  in  prosperity,  a  soul  uncorrupted  by  sensuality  and 
inflexible  to  the  passions,  a  firm  and  unshaken  innocence,  which 
delights  in  doing  good  to  all,  without  ever  offending  any.  This 
is  what  the  apostle  demands  of  you,  0  christian.  He  only  de- 
sires that  you  should  not  give  any  just  cause  of  reproach.  As 
to  events,  he  does  not  require  you  to  be  warned  against  them; 
that  is  to  say,  he  does  not  mean  that  men  should  not  blame 
you.  It  is  enough  for  him  that  your  life  should  not  give  them 
any  occasion  to  do  so,  and  that  if  they  rebuke  or  hate  you, 
you  may  truly  say  with  the  psalmist,  that  they  do  it  without  a 
cause,  Psal.  xxxv.  19.  It  is  very  true,  that  the  picture  of  this 
holy  and  innocent  life,  which  he  asks  of  you,  is  so  beautiful 
and  agreeable,  that  it  naturally  pleases  all  men,  that  it  softens 
their  passions,  gains  their  friendship,  and  often  draws  from  the 
greatest  enemies  approbation  and  praise.  Witness  the  lan- 
guage that  the  pagans  formerly  held  respecting  believers: 
"  Such  a  one  is  a  virtuous  man,  although  he  is  a  christian,"  as 
we  read  in  an  ancient  author*  But  nevertheless  the  malig- 
nity of  men  is  so  great,  that  we  cannot  always  promise  our- 
selves success  from  our  innocence.  Sometimes  it  makes  them 
angry,  and  renders  our  cause  suspected.  You  know  of  how 
many  crimes  the  Jews  formerly  charged  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Prince  and  Pattern  of  all  holiness.  His  apostles  were 
treated  by  many  in  the  same  way,  and  the  bonds  in  which 

*Tertullian. 
28 


218  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XIII. 

Paul  himself  was,  when  he  wrote  this  Epistle,  had  been  pre- 
pared for  him  only  by  the  calumnies  of  that  unhappy  nation. 
We  ought  not  to  hope  for  better  treatment  either  from  Satan 
or  the  world,  which  are  not  improved  by  having  grown  older. 
But  this  will  be  enough,  both  for  their  conviction  and  our 
consolation,  that  we  live  in  such  a  way  that  they  can  only  re- 
proach us  with  evil  by  a  falsehood.  Would  to  God  that  we 
were  in  these  circumstances.  It  would  be  easy  for  us  to  de- 
spise the  detractions  of  the  Avorld.  But,  dear  brethren,  it 
must  be  acknowledged,  to  our  shame,  the  faults  of  many  among 
us  exceed  the  reproaches  that  are  cast  upon  them,  and  the  im- 
purity of  their  morals  deserves  still  more  blame  than  the  world 
gives  them.  In  the  name  of  God,  and  as  his  glory  and  our 
salvation  is  dear  to  us,  let  us  wash  out  these  spots  from  our 
conversation,  and  let  us  render  them  henceforth  so  clean  be- 
fore heaven  and  earth,  that  none  may  blame  us  without  false- 
hood, nor  rebuke  us  without  manifest  injustice. 

To  this  goodness  and  blameless  innocence  the  apostle  adds 
simplicity,  the  badge  of  Christianity,  which  the  Lord  com- 
manded his  disciples  in  these  excellent  words,  "  Be  ye  harmless 
as  doves,  and  wise  as  serpents,"  Matt.  x.  16  ;  and  of  which  he 
proposed  the  innocence  of  a  little  child,  as  a  fit  emblem,  in  de- 
claring that  if  we  are  not  changed,  and  do  not  become  like  little 
children,  we  shall  not  enter  into  his  kingdom,  Matt,  xviii.  2,  3. 
The  word  âicépaioi,  here  employed  by  the  apostle  to  express  this 
grace  probably  means  sincere  ;  that  is  to  say,  pure,  not  mixed, 
not  sophisticated,  that  is  entirely  of  one  kind,  without  the  true 
and  natural  constitution  having  been  altered  by  the  admixture 
of  any  thing  foreign  to  it.  And  it  appears  that,  to  set  forth 
this  simplicity  and  sincerity,  God  formerly  forbade  his  ancient 
people  to  plant  a  vineyard  with  different  kinds  of  plants,  and 
to  unite  under  the  same  yoke  animals  of  different  species,  and 
to  clothe  themselves  with  a  cloth  of  linen  and  woollen  mixed 
together,  to  teach  us  by  the  enigma  of  these  figures  that  he 
hates  a  mind  and  life  double  and  variegated,  in  the  composition 
of  which  enter  vice  and  virtue,  good  and  evil,  piety  and  super- 
stition. He  wishes  us  to  be  entirely  christians,  and  that  there 
should  be  nothing  strange  in  the  whole  range  of  our  conver- 
sation ;  that  the  outside  and  the  inside  should  be  of  the  same 
nature,  the  one  exactly  corresponding  to  the  other  ;  that  the 
form,  colour,  and  substance  of  our  lives  should  be  simple,  and 
not  mixed.  And  although  this  virtue  is  very  extended,  it  may, 
nevertheless,  be  referred  to  four  principal  heads  :  in  the  first 
place,  that  we  should  be  without  hypocrisy  before  God,  ac- 
knowledging and  confessing  ourselves  such  in  .his  presence  as 
we  are  in  truth,  without  lessening  the  good  which  there  is, 
without  also  hiding  interior  defects  and  the  secret  disgrace  of 
our  souls  with  the  paint  and  false  colouring  of  our  artifices, 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO    THE   PHILIPPIANS.  219 

imitating  tlie  coarse  fraud  of  our  first  father,  who,  having  re- 
nounced the  naked  simplicity  in  which  he  had  been  formed, 
wished  to  disguise  himself  before  that  sovereign  Majesty  by 
covering  himself  with  fig  leaves.  It  is  also  one  of  the  features 
of  christian  simplicity  not  to  counterfeit  before  men,  any  more 
than  before  God,  giving  up  frauds,  pretences,  and  dissimula- 
tions, crooked  and  equivocal  ways,  which  the  people  of  the 
world  use,  to  make  their  neighbours  believe  of  them  the  con- 
trary of  what  they  really  are.  In  the  third  place,  simplicity 
comprehends  under  it,  or  at  least  certainly  draws  after  it,  gen- 
tleness and  meekness  of  mind  ;  it  is  not  easily  irritated,  or  if 
irritation  should  sometimes  arise,  it  is  soon  appeased,  and  in 
reality  loses  the  remembrance  of  the  offences  that  have  been 
committed  against  it.  Finally,  simplicity  is  exempt  from  cu- 
riosity ;  it  only  employs  itself  on  its  own  business  ;  and,  en- 
tirely turned  within,  does  not  observe  very  carefully  what 
passes  without,  from  whence  it  is  neither  suspicious  nor  dis- 
trustful. When,  then,  the  apostle  orders  us  to  be  simple,  he 
forbids  all  these  vices,  and  commends  all  those  virtues  that  are 
opposed  to  them.  He  desires  that  we  should  be  christians  in- 
deed, walking  sincerely  and  boldly  according  to  our  profession, 
having  in  the  heart,  and  in  every  part  and  action  of  our  life, 
that  same  Christ  and  that  same  gospel  which  we  have  in  the 
lips  and  on  the  tongue.  And  what  follows  shows  this  very 
clearly,  when  he  adds,  "  That  ye  may  be  children  of  God,  with- 
out rebuke,  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation, 
among  whom  ye  shine  as  lights  in  the  world  ;  holding  forth 
the  word  of  life." 

III.  In  the  latter  part  of  this  text,  the  apostle,  continuing 
his  exhortation  to  the  Philippians,  sets  before  them  many 
reasons  which  compel  them  to  the  holiness  which  he  asks  from 
them.  I  acknowledge  (says  he)  that  this  innocence,  and  in- 
tegrity, and  simplicity,  without  rebuke,  to  which  I  call  you, 
are  things  rare  and  unheard  of  upon  earth,  and  far  above  the 
ability  of  men.  But  then  you  are  not  men  of  this  world. 
Your  origin  is  not  from  the  earth.  You  are  the  children  of 
God,  and  lights  of  the  world.  As  your  origin  and  end  are 
above  the  earth,  so  should  your  life  be  also.  It  ought  to  bear 
in  all  its  parts  the  marks  of  its  author,  and  the  qualities  neces- 
sary for  the  purpose  for  which  he  gave  it  you.  In  saying  to 
them,  then,  "  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  God,  without  re- 
buke," he  shows  them  what  ought  to  be  their  manner  of  life, 
that  is  to  say,  holy  and  heavenly  ;  and  for  the  same  end  sets 
before  them  a  reason  which  compels  them,  namely,  their  ex- 
traction and  their  quality.  To  speak  correctly,  the  Father  has 
no  other  Son  than  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  begotten  from  all 
eternity,  of  the  same  substance  and  the  same  nature  as  himself, 
almighty  and  eternal  God,  all-wise  and  infinite,  as  himself.   But 


220  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIII. 

the  scripture  also  attributes,  figuratively,  this  title  of  "  children 
of  God  "  to  those  among  men  to  whom  this  great  and  glorious 
Lord  has  deigned  in  some  measure  to  communicate  his  divine 
nature,  by  the  work  of  his  heavenly  Spirit,  forming  in  their 
minds,  by  the  light  that  he  there  sheds,  some  features  of  that 
holiness,  peace,  and  supreme  joy  in  which  blessedness  consists, 
and  destining  them  to  his  most  blessed  immortality,  of  which 
he  gives  them  here  the  pledges  and  first-fruits,  reserving  for 
them  its  substance  and  its  fulness  in  another  world.  All  those 
to  whom  he  has  given  these  rich  gifts  of  his  grace  have  the 
honour  to  be  called,  in  his  scriptures,  "  his  children,  his  heirs, 
his  brethren,  and  co-heirs  with  him."  As  John  tells  us,  that 
Jesus  Christ  has  given  to  all  those  who  believe  in  his  name  the 
right  to  become  children  of  God,  as  to  those  who  are  not  born 
of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man, 
but  of  God,  John  i.  12,  13.  As,  then,  the  Philippians  had  re- 
ceived the  gospel  of  the  Lord,  and  believed  in  his  name,  they 
were  children  of  God.  This  is  what  the  apostle  recalled  to 
them. 

But  he  does  not  simply  say,  that  they  may  be  children  of 
God.  He  adds,  "  without  rebuke,"  or  without  blame,  and  with- 
out reproach  ;  for  that  is  the  meaning  of  the  Greek  word  which 
he  uses.  Why  did  he  add  this  word  ?  Does  he  mean  to  say 
that  there  are  two  sorts  of  children  of  God,  some  blâmable, 
others  not  ?  God  forbid,  beloved  brethren.  The  glory  of  this 
great  name  only  belongs  to  those  whose  lives  are  irreproach- 
able, and  whose  morals  are  pure  and  unblamable.  But  although 
in  truth  this  praise  only  belongs  to  children  of  God,  there  are 
still  a  great  many  people  who  call  themselves  children  of  God, 
who  make  profession  of  being  so,  and  have  the  appearance, 
the  language,  and  other  exterior  marks  of  it,  who,  with  all  this, 
do  not  cease  to  lead  a  shameful  and  scandalous  life,  full  of  de- 
bauchery and  vice.  It  is  to  separate  us  from  these  that  the 
apostle  commands  us  to  be  children  of  God,  without  rebuke 
and  without  reproach  ;  as  if  he  had  said,  not  bastards,  or  coun- 
terfeits, but  true  and  legitimate  children,  worthy  of  this  glo- 
rious title,  and  whom  none  can  reproach  with  any  of  those  evil 
qualities  which  are  incompatible  with  the  truth  of  this  name. 
"  That  ye  may  be  children  of  God,  without  rebuke,  and  with- 
out reproach."  Be  in  truth  what  you  make  profession  of  being. 
That  your  life  may  not  supply  your  accusers  with  any  proof 
against  your  language,  nor  any  just  and  reasonable  reproach 
against  the  dignity  you  take  that  may  compel  you  to  renounce 
it.  For  as  you  see  that  in  the  world  art  counterfeits  precious 
stones  and  drugs,  exchanging  them  for  others  of  little  value, 
which  they  pass  off  for  good  by  favour  of  some  apparent  re- 
semblance which  they  have  to  the  true  ;  so  also  in  the  church 
there  has  always  been  found  a  number  of  cheats,  who,  deceiv- 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  221 

in  g  themselves  and  others,  take  the  colour  and  form  of  the 
children  of  God,  although  in  reality  they  are  not  so.  And  as 
there  are  certain  means  by  which  adulterated  goods,  such  as  the 
gold  and  stones  of  alchemy,  are  discerned  from  the  true  ;  so 
also  in  religion  there  are  marks  and  certain  proofs  whereby 
those  may  be  known  who  have  only  the  name  of  children  of 
God  from  those  who  are  so  in  reality.  Those  who  sustain 
these  trials,  and  in  whom  are  really  found  all  these  marks,  are 
they  whom  the  apostle  here  very  elegantly  calls  "  children  of 
God,  without  rebuke  ;"  those  whom  the  crucible  cannot  make 
to  blush  ;  those  in  whom  neither  the  calumny  nor  the  cunning 
of  the  enemy  can  find  any  thing  to  lay  hold  of;  such  as  the 
scripture  sets  forth  in  a  Job,  who  confounded  all  the  artifices 
of  Satan,  and  justified  most  fully  by  his  trials  the  glorious  tes- 
timony which  God  had  condescended  to  bear  to  him  with  his 
own  mouth.  And  here,  dear  brethren,  it  is  not  needful  that  I 
should  enlarge  upon  or  set  forth  these  divine  and  inimitable 
marks  of  the  true  children  of  God.  Their  name  sufficiently 
shows  you  in  what  they  consist  :  in  a  serious  and  constant 
imitation  of  him  whose  children  they  are  ;  in  real  charity  to- 
wards men,  in  kindness,  holiness,  and  purity  ;  in  fleeing  from 
all  pursuits  likely  to  displease  our  heavenly  Father  ;  and  in 
studying  and  practising  his  will,  according  to  the  doctrine  of 
John,  "  All  that  is  born  of  God  overcometh  the  world  ;"  and, 
"  Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  sin,  because  the  seed  of 
God  remaineth  in  him,"  1  John  v.  4  ;  iii.  9.  From  which  it 
appears  that  when  the  apostle  here  wishes  that  we  may  be  the 
children  of  God,  without  rebuke,  he  calls  us  by  these  words  to 
a  peculiar  sanctification  ;  as  if  he  directed  us  to  renounce  all 
the  filth  and  impurity  of  vice,  all  the  meannesses  and  vanities 
of  the  world,  to  lead  henceforth  a  spiritual  and  heavenly  life, 
that  may  be  full  of  that  purity  and  innocence,  that  zeal  and 
charity,  which  are  found  in  heaven,  the  holy  and  blessed  king- 
dom of  our  eternal  Father. 

But  besides  the  form  of  this  sanctification,  the  name  of 
"  children  of  God,"  he  also  proposes  motives  and  reasons  for 
it.  For  as  this  name  warns  us  that  we  so  closely  belong  to 
this  supreme  Lord,  is  it  not  reasonable  that  we  should  imitate 
him  with  all  our  powers,  and  that  we  should  show  forth  the 
fruits  of  his  Spirit,  and  the  marks  of  his  blood,  in  all  the  ac- 
tions of  our  life  ?  Where  is  the  man,  the  offspring  of  a  noble 
and  illustrious  father,  whose  soul  is  not  roused  by  the  remem- 
brance of  his  birth,  and  animated  with  thoughts  worthy  of  his 
extraction  ?  And  does  not  this  incomparable  favour  that  God 
has  done  us  still  more  incite  us  to  this  feeling?  For  from 
slaves  of  the  devil  we  see  ourselves,  by  his  kindness,  become 
children  of  the  supreme  God.  What  a  heart  we  must  have 
if  the  consideration  of  such  a  high  privilege  does  not  affect 


222  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIII. 

us!  But  that  blessed  immortality  which  this  glorious  name 
promises  us,  ought  also  to  excite  us  forcibly  to  run  with  all  our 
strength  towards  this  divine  end  of  our  calling,  and  to  employ 
us  night  and  day  on  sanctification,  without  which,  whatever 
the  flesh  may  promise  or  hope,  no  one  shall  ever  see  the  Lord. 
In  the  following  words  the  apostle  puts  still  another  con- 
sideration before  the  eyes  of  these  Philippians,  which  ought  not 
less  to  influence  their  love  and  their  study  of  a  spiritual  life  ; 
it  is  that  they  were  "  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse 
generation."  He,  doubtless,  borrowed  this  expression  from 
the  song  of  Moses,  where  they  are  found  in  the  Greek  version, 
when  the  prophet,  inveighing  against  the  infidelity  of  the  Is- 
raelites, that  they  have  corrupted  themselves  towards  the  Lord, 
calls  them  "  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation,"  Deut.  xxxii. 
3.  He  applies  these  words  to  the  Gentiles  and  to  the  Jews, 
among  whom  then  lived  the  faithful  of  Philippi.  From  which 
we  may  learn,  in  the  first  place,  what  is  the  condition  of  men 
who  are  out  of  Jesus  Christ;  they  are  (says  the  apostle)  "a 
crooked  and  perverse  generation,"  which  have  nothing  right 
or  simple  either  in  their  religion  or  morals,  whose  whole  life 
is  only  a  confused  labyrinth,  entangled  in  a  thousand  wind- 
ings, without  issue,  without  guide,  and  without  any  light. 
Judge  from  this,  in  passing,  what  a  situation  men  are  in  by 
their  natural  strength,  and  that  it  is  to  the  Spirit  of  God  alone 
to  which  ought  to  be  attributed  the  glory  of  all  that  is  correct 
and  wise  in  us.  From  this  you  may  also  see  what  is  the  situ- 
ation of  the  church  whilst  sojourning  here  below.  She  sub- 
sists, like  these  Philippian  christians,  surrounded  by  a  mul- 
titude of  enemies.  It  is  a  Lot  in  Sodom,  an  ark  of  Noah  in 
the  deluge,  the  Hebrew  children  in  the  furnace  of  Babylon,  a 
little  island  beaten  on  all  sides  b}r  a  great  and  infinite  sea.  It 
is  true  that  the  church  is  not  always  equally  mixed  with  this 
crooked  generation  ;  it  is  true  that  she  has  sometimes  more 
elbow-room,  the  nation  in  which  she  dwells  being  either  fa- 
vourable to  her  doctrine,  or  less  enemies  to  it  than  were  the 
fellow  countrymen  of  the  Philippians.  But  however  it  may 
be,  there  are  always  many  hypocrites  and  sensual  and  unre- 
generate  people  in  those  very  places  where  profession  is  made 
of  its  creed.  What  the  apostle  here  says  to  the  Philippians 
is  suitable,  in  some  measure,  to  all  christians,  according  to 
what  the  oracle  has  predicted  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  he  shall 
reign  in  the  midst  of  his  enemies.  But  as  we  have  to  thank 
God  that  he  has  so  favoured  us  as  to  separate  us  from  the  gen- 
eration of  this  world  ;  so  ought  we  to  take  heed  that  we  have 
nothing  in  common  with  its  manners,  faithfully  keeping  our- 
selves unpolluted  in  the  midst  of  its  corruption.  And  as  nat- 
uralists say  that  there  are  rivers  which  run  through  lakes 
without  mingling  their  waters  with  them,  may  we  flow  to- 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  223 

gether  in  this  world  without  uniting  in  its  ways,  preserving 
all  the  colour,  strength,  and  substance  of  our  divine  source  ; 
may  we  be  truly  that  people  of  God,  of  which  Balaam  for- 
merly said,  "  The}7,  shall  dwell  alone,  and  shall  not  be  reckoned 
among  the  nations  ;"  always  strangers  in  the  world,  although 
living  on  the  earth,  and  breathing  its  air;  floating  in  the  midst 
of  its  waters  without  being  confounded  with  them  ;  walking 
in  its  fires  without  being  burnt  ;  constantly  remaining  upright, 
perfect,  sincere,  and  unrebukable  in  the  midst  of  all  its  ob- 
liquities and  perversities.  This  mixed  state  of  our  existence 
obliges  us  to  do  so,  my  brethren.  For  as  you  see  in  the  world 
that  things  contract  and  concentrate  all  their  powers,  uniting 
them  that  they  may  preserve  the  qualities  and  perfections 
of  their  nature,  when  they  are  surrounded  by  their  opposites, 
which  is  what  the  schools  of  philosophy  call  "  antiperistasis," 
so  should  we  also  do  in  religion.  When  we  find  ourselves 
enclosed  and  besieged  on  all  sides  by  the  adversaries  of  our 
profession,  it  is  then  that  we  must  more  than  ever  draw  into 
ourselves,  collecting  all  the  strength  we  have  to  oppose  the 
enemy,  to  maintain  our  faith  and  our  holiness  entire  against 
the  violence  of  contrary  examples  ;  let  it  still  more  shine 
forth,  the  more  it  is  pressed  down.  But  besides  our  preserva- 
tion, the  consideration  of  other  men  compels  us  to  do  so,  God 
having  thus  mingled  and  dispersed  us  in  the  midst  of  a  per- 
verse generation,  that  we  may  gain  some,  and  straighten  its 
crooked  ways  by  the  efforts  of  our  piety  ;  or  at  least,  if  the 
children  of  this  world  do  not  amend,  that  we  may  one  day 
serve  to  convict  them  of  having  despised  the  riches  of  divine 
grace  which  we  would  offer  them. 

And  this  is  the  third  reason  that  the  apostle  places  before 
us,  representing  the  service  that  we  ought  to  render  to  the 
children  of  this  world:  "Among  whom  ye  shine  as  lights  in 
the  world,  holding  forth  the  word  of  life."  Some  take  these 
words  for  a  commandment,  and  read  them  thus  ;  "  Shine  ye 
among  them  as  lights."  But  both  come  to  the  same  meaning. 
For  it  is  clear  that  in  the  main  the  apostle  sets  before  us  the 
dignity  and  the  destiny  of  believers  by  a  brilliant  simile,  saying 
that  they  are  lights  or  luminaries  of  the  world,  and  that  there- 
fore their  office  is  to  shine  among  men.  The  comparison  may 
have  been  drawn  either  from  artificial  lights,  which  men  light 
that  they  may  shine  during  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  es- 
pecially of  those  that  are  placed  on  light-houses  to  guide  ves- 
sels which  are  sailing  on  the  sea,  in  showing  them  the  port, 
and  pointing  out  their  course  ;  or  from  the  luminaries  of  na- 
ture which  God  has  placed  in  order  in  the  heavens,  the  moon 
and  the  stars  ;  and  this  last  meaning  is  plainer  and  more  mag- 
nificent, and  even,  in  my  opinion,  more  in  accordance  with 
the  words  of  the  apostle,  who  says,   "  shine  as  lights  in  the 


224:  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XIII. 

world  ;"  consequently  rather  meaning  the  lights  of  the  world 
than  those  of  our  houses.  The  Lord  had  from  the  begin- 
ning used  this  comparison,  when,  speaking  to  the  father  of  the 
faithful,  he  told  him  that  his  posterity  should  be  as  the  stars 
of  heaven  ;  having  by  that,  besides  the  multitude  of  his  chil- 
dren, signified  also  their  quality  and  their  excellence.  Thus 
you  see  that  the  world  is,  as  it  were,  the  emblem  or  portrait 
of  the  church.  In  the  world  God  has  placed  the  sun,  to  be 
there  the  inexhaustible  source  of  visible  light.  In  the  church 
he  has  placed  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  fountain  of  all  intellectual 
light,  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  and  the  Light  of  the  world. 
Besides  the  sun,  God  created  the  moon  and  the  stars  in  the 
universe,  that,  during  the  darkness  of  the  night,  they  might 
console  the  world  by  their  brightness.  The  whole  body  of 
the  church  in  general  is  as  a  mystical  moon,  which,  during  the 
absence  of  its  sun,  sheds  its  light  upon  the  earth.  Each  of 
the  faithful,  in  particular,  is  as  a  star  ;  they  are,  in  truth,  of 
divers  forms  and  magnitudes,  but  nevertheless  all  shining  ac- 
cording to  the  measure  of  grace  that  has  been  given  to  them. 
And,  as,  according  to  the  very  probable  opinion  of  the  most 
learned  mathematicians,  all  those  stars  which  are  nearest  to  the 
earth,  that  is  to  say  the  planets,  borrow  from  the  sun  all  the 
light  they  have  ;  thus,  also,  the  church  collectively,  and  be- 
lievers individually,  have  all  their  brilliancy,  their  life,  and 
their  glory  from  Jesus  Christ  alone,  their  great  Sun,  in  whom 
dwells  bodily  all  the  fulness  of  knowledge  and  wisdom. 

From  this  it  appears  how  great  is  the  dignity  of  believers. 
For  as  among  all  material  bodies  there  are  none  comparable 
to  the  stars  of  heaven  in  beauty  and  perfection  ;  so,  of  all  men, 
believers  are,  without  doubt,  the  happiest  and  the  best  gifted. 
Christians  !  rejoice  in  the  glory  to  which  the  Lord  has  raised 
you,  and  possess  it  with  extreme  content  in  the  midst  of  the 
troubles  and  agitations  of  this  world.  But  do  not  forget  the 
service  and  the  edification  that  you  owe  to  the  world.  As  the 
stars  of  heaven  do  not  shine  for  themselves,  nor  hide  their 
light,  but  communicate  it  liberally  to  all  parts  of  the  universe, 
sending  it  from  the  highest  heavens  to  the  lowest  and  most 
distant  regions,  piercing,  by  the  power  of  their  rays,  into  all 
these  great  spaces  which  are  between  us  and  them  ;  do  also 
the  same,  0  holy  and  mystical  stars  of  Jesus  Christ.  Shed  all 
around  you  the  rays  of  the  faith  and  holiness  that  he  has  com- 
municated to  you.  Share  them  with  men.  May  the  innocence 
and  kindness  of  your  life  continually  enlighten  the  darkness 
of  their  ignorance,  and  give  them  the  means  of  seeing  salva- 
tion, and  being  led  into  it.  This  is  precisely  what  the  apostle 
means,  when  he  says  that  you  shine  in  the  midst  of  a  perverse 
generation  as  lights  in  the  world.  And  this  is  what  the  Lord 
had  already  commanded  his  disciples,  saying  to  them,  "  Men 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  225 

do  not  light  a  candle  and  put  it  under  a  bushel,  but  on  a  can- 
dlestick that  it  may  give  light  to  all  that  are  in  the  house.  So 
let  your  light  shine  before  men,  that  tbey  may  see  your  good 
works,  and  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven,"  Matt.  v. 
15,  16.  But  the  apostle,  to  explain  this  more  clearly,  after 
having  called  believers  "  lights,"  adds,  "  holding  forth  the  word 
of  life."  The  word  which  he  uses*  does  not  simply  mean  to 
have  a  thing  in  possession,  but  rather  to  hold  it  forth,  to  show 
it,  and  to  present  it  to  others.  He  means,  then,  that  as  the 
stars  have  not  only  in  themselves  this  beautiful  and  lively 
light  with  which  God  has  clothed  them,  but  present  it  and 
show  it  to  other  creatures  that  they  may  enjoy  it,  and  that  this 
is  what  makes  them  lights  and  luminaries  of  the  world  ;  so 
also  christians  ought  not  only  to  have,  and  faithfully  keep  in 
themselves,  this  heavenly  truth  that  Jesus  Christ  has  given 
them,  but  also  to  show  it  forth,  and  place  it  before  the  eyes  of 
other  men,  that  they  may  be  enlightened  with  the  knowledge 
of  God,  and  be,  by  these  means,  the  true  lights  of  the  human 
race. 

As  to  the  stars  of  the  world,  the  light  that  they  shed  here  be- 
low only  enlightens  the  living  ;  it  does  not  give  life;  or  if  it  con- 
tributes any  thing  to  life,  all  its  power  only  serves  to  the  sup- 
port of  earthly  and  animal  life  ;  whilst  the  light  of  believers 
is  capable  of  quickening  the  dead,  and  of  communicating  to 
them  true  life,  alone  worthy  of  this  glorious  and  immortal 
name.  For  the  light  that  they  hold  forth  is,  as  the  apostle 
says,  "  the  word  of  life."  It  is  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  that  he  means  ;  and  he  gives  it  this  name  in  the  same 
sense  as  Peter  had  already  said,  speaking  to  the  Lord,  "  To 
whom  shall  we  go  ?  Thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life," 
John  vi.  68,  to  distinguish  this  wholesome  doctrine  from  the 
learning  of  the  wise  of  this  world,  more  capable  of  wearying 
man  than  of  edifying  him  ;  and  with  the  law  of  Moses,  which 
considered  in  itself,  was  the  ministration  of  death.  Whereas 
the  gospel  of  Christ  being  received  into  our  hearts  by  faith, 
brings  there,  as  a  living  and  eternal  light,  consolation  and 
joy,  the  love  of  God  and  of  our  neighbour,  and  finally,  that 
life  and  that  immortality  which  are  therein  brought  to  light. 
Judge  from  hence,  believers,  how  desirous  those  are  of  the 
salvation  of  christian  people  who  hide  from  them  this  holy 
word  of  life,  and,  far  from  giving  it  to  them  that  they  may 
hold  it  forth  and  present  it  to  all,  as  the  apostle  here  says,  are 
not  even  willing  that  they  should  either  see  it  or  read  it, 
making  them  believe  that  it  is  a  word  of  death,  capable  of 
killing  them  by  its  obscurities  and  pretended  difficulties,  whilst 
this  holy  man  of  God  assures  us  that  it  is  the  word  of  life,  the 

29 


226  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIII. 

only  light  that  is  capable  of  enlightening  and  quickening  men. 
God  be  for  ever  blessed,  who  has  condescended  to  rekindle 
this  divine  light  among  us,  driving  away  and  dissipating,  by 
the  strength  of  its  light,  that  darkness  and  those  thick  mists 
of  abuses  and  errors  with  which  ignorance  and  superstition 
have  filled  the  world.  Let  us  rejoice  in  its  light.  Let  us  listen 
to  and  diligently  study  this  holy  word  of  life.  Let  us  learn 
all  its  secrets.  Let  us  love  it  as  our  sole  advantage  over  others  ; 
let  us  impress  it  on  our  memories,  and  lodge  it  in  our  under- 
standings. May  it  be  the  usual  subject  of  our  thoughts  and 
of  our  conversation.  But  above  all,  may  it  be  the  rule  of  our 
affections,  and  the  guide  of  our  life  ;  may  it  govern  it  in  every 
way,  and  be  absolutely  obeyed.  For  it  is  nothing  to  hear  and 
to  speak  of  it  if  we  do  not  receive  it  with  faith  ;  if  it  do  not 
penetrate  our  souls,  and  change  all  their  dispositions,  conform- 
ing them  to  the  image  of  the  Lord.  Without  this  effect, 
the  knowledge  that  we  have  of  it  will  turn  to  our  condemna- 
tion. For  it  is  to  offend  God  to  take  his  holy  word  of  life 
into  an  impious  or  profane  mouth  ;  added  to  which,  it  is  to 
lessen  its  effect  upon  other  men.  For  how  can  you  expect  that 
they  should  have  faith  in  what  you  say,  if  your  life  testifies 
that  you  do  not  believe  it  yourself?  If,  then,  you  have  any 
desire  either  for  your  own  salvation,  or  for  the  improvement 
of  others,  beloved  brethren,  obey  the  commandment  of  the 
apostle  ;  reject  the  works  of  darkness  ;  clothe  yourselves  with 
the  armour  of  light,  Eom.  xiii.  14.  Be  truly  children  of  God 
without  rebuke  in  the  midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  genera- 
tion. Shine  among  the  people  of  the  world  as  the  lights  of 
the  world,  holding  forth,  and  presenting  to  all,  the  word  of 
life.     It  is  the  praise  and  the  title  of  true  believers. 

Such,  in  primitive  times,  was  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ, 
clothed  with  the  sun,  and  shining  in  every  place  where  it 
dwelt  with  a  wholesome  light.  Its  associations  were  like  a 
great  torch,  throwing  on  all  sides,  as  it  were,  so  many  living 
rays  of  words  and  holy  works,  full  of  honesty,  righteousness, 
temperance,  modesty,  and  charity.  Thus  it  pierced,  in  a  short 
time,  the  darkness  of  paganism,  thick  and  frightful  as  it  was  ; 
it  dissipated  error;  it  disclosed  the  horrors  of  hell;  it  con- 
founded devils,  and  forced  the  world  to  worship  that  same 
truth  that  it  had  so  long  and  so  cruelly  persecuted.  The  light 
of  the  saints'  lives  contributed  more  to  his  work  than  their  mi- 
racles. Such  also  was  this  new  people  whom  God  formed,  in 
the  time  of  our  fathers,  by  the  power  of  his  gospel.  They 
were  truly  the  lights  of  the  world,  in  whom  shone  the  pure 
light  of  knowledge  and  holiness.  There  was  so  much  bril- 
liancy in  their  manners,  that  it  was  immediately  acknowledged 
wherever  they  showed  themselves.  The  gravity,  gentleness, 
and  courtesy  of  their  words,  seasoned  with  the  salt  of  grace, 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  227 

and  free  from  all  the  oaths  and  filth  with  which  the  people  of 
the  world  filled  the  whole  of  their  discourse;  the  openness, 
sincerity,  and  candour  of  their  conversation,  void  of  all  ma- 
lice ;  the  love  that  they  had  one  for  another,  the  sobriety  of 
their  repasts,  the  modesty  of  their  dress,  the  good  nurture  of 
their  families,  the  abundance  of  their  alms,  the  strictness  of 
their  lives,  quite  retired  into  the  service  of  heaven,  without 
taking  any  part  in  the  excesses  or  the  vanities  and  pastimes 
of  the  world  ;  their  zeal  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord  :  all  these 
things,  I  sa}*-,  distinguished  them  from  the  rest  of  mankind, 
and  made  them  sparkle  and  shine  among  them  as  the  stars  of 
the  firmament  in  the  darkness  of  night.  But,  0  grief!  the 
deceits  of  the  enemy  have,  by  degrees,  stripped  us  of  this  glo- 
rious and  brilliant  appearance.  He  has  tarnished,  by  different 
artifices,  the  brightness  of  our  light,  and  has  covered  us  with 
the  darkness  of  vice.  He  has  taken  from  us  the  marks  which 
separated  us  from  the  world,  and,  so  to  speak,  has  snatched  us 
from  heaven  where  we  shone,  and  has  cast  us  down  into  the 
dust,  and  plunged  us  in  the  mire.  Our  manners  are  no  longer 
illustrious  or  remarkable.  In  them  are  as  many  or  more  spots 
than  in  the  lives  of  the  people  of  the  world.  We  run  hastily 
into  all  their  excesses.  We  amuse  ourselves,  and  are  foolish 
like  them.  The  same  avarice,  the  same  ambition,  the  same 
cupidhVy-  occupy  the  one  as  the  other.  Our  discourses,  our 
designs  are  as  earthly  and  as  low  as  theirs.  Murmurings  and 
disputings,  fraud,  injustice,  and  perfidy,  take  place  as  well 
amongst  us  as  them.  Even  in  these  holy  assemblies  our  cor- 
ruption is  felt  ;  that  respectful  modesty  which  formerly  shone 
there  has  evidently  relaxed,  and  is  giving  place  to  contempt, 
talking,  and  ridicule.  Dear  brethren,  how  can  we,  after  so 
unworthy  a  change,  be  still  called  the  children  of  God,  and 
lights  of  the  world?  By  what  right  can  we  take  the  glory  of 
so  high  a  title?  Who  does  not  see,  that,  having  lost  the  thing, 
we  have  also  lost  the  name?  Notwithstanding  which,  consi- 
der, I  pray  you,  the  consequence  of  this  loss.  Your  eternal 
salvation  is  concerned  in  it,  none  having  a  share  in  that 
blessed  life  who  are  not  children  of  God  ;  none  can. shine  in 
heaven  in  the  kingdom  of  glory  who  have  not  first  shone  here 
in  the  kingdom  of  grace.  And  do  not  imagine  that  this  only 
relates  to  the  ministers  of  the  gospel.  Paul  here  speaks  of  all 
believers.  Of  whatever  order  you  may  be,  if  you  wish  to  be 
members  of  Jesus  Christ,  you  must  be  a  star  and  a  light  of  the 
world.  Let  us,  then,  turn  our  hearts  towards  this  great  Sun 
of  righteousness;  let  us  open  our  minds  to  him,  and  beseech 
him  most  humbly  to  rekindle  there  his  extinguished  lights, 
faith,  love,  zeal,  righteousness,  and  holiness;  so  that,  filled 
with  his  light,  we  may  edify  our  neighbours;  and  after  having 
shone  here  below  in  the  midst  of  a  perverse  generation,  we 


228  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XIV. 

may  one  day  shine  above  in  the  heavens  with  angels  and  saints. 
Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  11th  March,  1641. 


SERMON  XIV. 

VERSES   16 — 18. 


That  Irnay  rejoice  in  the  day  of  Christ,  that  I  have  not  run  in  vain, 
neither  laboured  in  vain.  Yea,  and  if  I  be  offered*  upon  the 
sacrifice  and  service  of  your  faith,  I  joy,  and  rejoice  with  you 
all.  For  the  same  cause  also  do  ye  joy,  and  rejoice  with 
me. 

Dear  brethren,  there  is  so  close  a  union  between  the  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel,  and  the  churches  which  they  build  up  in 
the  Lord,  that  their  joys  and  sorrows  are  in  common.  And  as 
in  the  world  a  fine  and  fruitful  flock  is  the  riches  of  the  shep- 
herd, an  honest  and  well-conducted  family  the  joy  and  honour 
of  the  father,  a  happy  and  flourishing  state  the  strength  and 
glory  of  the  prince  ;  so  also  in  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ,  a 
holy  and  blessed  church,  abounding  in  the  fruits  of  righteous- 
ness, is  the  crown,  the  joy,  and  the  triumph  of  its  pastors. 
This  is  the  reason  why  the  apostle  Paul,  having  in  the  prece- 
ding verses  powerfully  exhorted  the  Phiiippians,  whom  he  had 
built  up  and  instructed  in  the  Lord,  to  a  purity  and  holiness 
of  life,  worthy  of  their  heavenly  calling,  represents  to  them 
the  fruits  that  will  spring  from  it  ;  "  Be  ye  without  rebuke, 
simple  and  unreprovable,  children  of  God  in  the  midst  of  a 
crooked  and  perverse  generation,  shining  as  lights  in  the 
world,  holding  forth  the  word  of  life;"  he  now  adds,  ".that  I 
may  rejoice  in  the  day  of  Christ,  that  I  have  not  run  in  vain, 
neither  laboured  in  vain."  It  is  as  if  he  had  said  to  them,  Do 
not  be  astonished  that  I  so  warmly  and  carefully  press  you  to 
live  holily,  and  in  agreement  with  the  rules  of  the  gospel. 
Besides  the  love  that  I  bear  you,  and  that  makes  me  desire 
your  happiness,  it  also  concerns  my  own  interest.  Your  piety 
is  my  honour,  and  your  holiness  my  glory.  You  are  the  field 
from  whence,  in  the  day  of  the  appearing  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 
I  hope  to  reap  the  praise  which  I  look  for  as  the  reward  of  my 
labour.  Then,  to  show  them  how  much  he  prized  and  desired 
that  glory,  he  declares  to  them  in  the  following  words,  that  to 

*  French,  "  poured  forth.'' 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  229 

acquire  it  he  was  ready  cheerfully  to  shed  his  blood,  and  to 
crown  with  his  death  the  other  labours  of  his  sacred  ministry  : 
"Yea,  and  if  I  be  poured  forth  upon  the  sacrifice  and  service 
of  your  faith,  I  joy,  and  rejoice  with  you  all."  And  that  this 
declaration  might  not  grieve  them,  he  adds,  that  if  the  Lord 
permitted  it  to  be  so,  they  would  also  in  truth  have  a  great 
cause  of  consolation  and  rejoicing:  "For  the  same  cause  also 
do  ye  joy,  and  rejoice  with  me."  Thus  we  have  three  points 
of  which  to  treat  in  this  discourse,  that  by  the  help  of  God  we 
may  give  you  an  entire  explanation  of  this  text.  In  the  first 
place,  Of  the  glory  that  would  accrue  to  the  apostle  from  the 
piety  and  holiness  of  the  Philippians;  secondly,  Of  his  free 
and  cheerful  resolution  to  die  for  the  building  up  of  their 
faith  ;  and,  in  the  third  and  last  place,  Of  the  joy  that  they 
ought  to  have  in  themselves  when  the  Lord  should  call  him  to 
martyrdom. 

I.  As  to  the  first  point,  the  apostle  does  not  simply  say  that 
it  would  turn  to  his  glory  that  the  church  of  the  Philippians 
should  live  well  and  holily;  he  says  more,  that  he  shoald 
glory  in  it,  which  seems  contrary,  at  first  sight,  to  what  he 
elsewhere  forbids,  viz.,  that  believers  should  glory  in  any 
thing  but  the  Lord.  But  I  reply  that  it  is  also  in  the  Lord 
that  he  hopes  and  professes  here  to  glory.  For  although  we 
cannot  without  injustice  and  without  vanity  boast  of  the  least 
thing  which  relates  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  nor  attribute  any 
part  to  ourselves  without  offending  the  Lord  ;  yet,  after  hav- 
ing humbled  ourselves  under  his  feet,  and  having  acknow- 
ledged that  all  we  are  is  by  his  pure  grace  alone,  as  well  as  all 
that  we  have  done  in  him,  it  is  not  forbidden,  it  is  even  com- 
manded, us  to  behold  with  admiration,  to  celebrate  and  to  re- 
present with  joy,  the  works  of  his  goodness  in  us,  looking  at 
them  in  ourselves,  and  showing  them  to  others,  as  the  fruits 
of  his  mercy  and  of  his  power,  and  not  as  the  effects  of  our 
own  courage.  It  is  thus  that  the  apostle  teaches  us  elsewhere, 
that  we  should  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God,  and 
even  in  tribulations,  receiving  them  as  so  many  seals  of  our 
glory  ;  whilst  they  produce  patience,  and  patience  experience, 
and  experience  hope,  which  maketh  not  ashamed.  It  is  in 
this  sense  that  the  perseverance  and  progress  of  the  disciples 
of  Paul  in  piety  gave  him  cause  for  rejoicing.  In  fact,  he 
often  thus  rejoices  in  his  Epistles,  alleging  the  success  of  his 
labour  as  so  many  illustrious  and  glorious  marks  of  his  divine 
vocation,  and  of  the  power  which  the  Lord  had  designed  to 
display  in  him  to  the  furtherance  of  his  kingdom,  and  to  the 
salvation  of  men  ;  as  when  he  says  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Ro- 
mans, that  he  hath  whereof  to  glory  in  Jesus  Christ  for  the 
things  which  belong  to  God,  afterwards  setting  out  the  mag- 
nificent effects  of  his  sacred  ministry  :  "For  I  will  not  dare  to 


230  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SEEM.  XIV 

speak  of  any  of  those  things  which  Christ  hath  not  wrought 
by  me  to  make  the  Gentiles  obedient  by  word  and  deed, 
through  mighty  signs  and  wonders,  by  the  power  of  the  Spi- 
rit of  God;  so  that  from  Jerusalem,  and  round  about  unto 
Illyricum,  I  have  fully  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ,"  Eom. 
xv.  18,  19.  And  elsewhere,  in  the  same  manner,  he  draws 
proofs  of  his  apostleship  from  the  great  success  of  his  labours 
among  the  Corinthians  :  "  Are  not  ye  my  work  in  the  Lord  ? 
If  I  be  not  an  apostle  unto  others,  yet,  doubtless,  I  am  to  you, 
for  the  seal  of  mine  apostleship  are  ye  in  the  Lord.  Mine  an- 
swer to  them  that  do  examine  me  is  this,"  1  Cor.  ix.  1 — 3. 
And  it  is  in  this  sense,  and  for  this  same  reason,  that  he 
afterwards  calls  the  Philippians  his  joy  and  crown,  that  is 
to  say,  the  subject  and  matter  of  his  joy  and  glory  that 
he  had  before  God  and  his  saints,  of  being  the  apostle 
and  minister  of  Christ,  a  thousand  times  greater  and  more  il- 
lustrious glory  than  all  the  crowns  of  the  earth.  Thus  you  see 
that  the  apostle  then  rejoiced  in  the  fruit  of  his  painful  labours, 
gathering  from  their  success  great  and  ineffable  content,  which 
he  did  not  hide,  but  showed  it  and  communicated  it  freely  to 
others  whenever  the  occasion  required  it.  This  is  what  he 
calls  to  "  rejoice."  In  truth  he  had  every  reason  in  the  world 
to  do  so.  For  what  can  one  picture  to  oneself  more  delight- 
ful or  more  glorious  than  to  have  freely  preached  the  gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  in  all  the  universe  ?  If  it  be  an  exploit  worthy 
of  being  crowned  with  public  gratitude  and  praise  to  have 
saved  a  citizen  from  death,  as  the  most  virtuous  of  all  people 
formerly  judged  ;  what,  then,  ought  to  be  the  crown  and  the 
glory  of  the  apostle,  who  had  delivered,  not  one  or  two  men, 
but  churches  and  nations,  and,  if  one  may  so  speak,  an  entire 
world,  not  simply  from  death,  but  from  hell,  from  the  darkness 
of  ignorance,  from  the  slavery  of  idolatry,  and  from  the  curse 
of  God  ;  not  to  preserve  them  in  mortal  and  perishable  life, 
but  to  put  them  in  possession  of  the  blessing  of  a  happy  im- 
mortality ;  not  with  arms  and  by  shedding  the  blood  of  others, 
but  by  holy  and  pure  preaching,  which  by  saving  some  did 
not  injure  others,  which,  to  preserve  the  citizen,  did  not  wound 
the  enemy  ?  True  it  is,  that  the  world  did  not  acknowledge 
this  glory  ;  that  the  greater  part  of  the  Jews  and  Gentiles, 
blinded  by  the  rage  of  their  malice,  turned  this  honour  into 
shame,  disgracing,  in  every  possible  way,  both  the  design  and 
the  work  of  the  apostle.  But  their  fury  did  not  prevent  this 
holy  man  from  experiencing  his  happiness,  and  from  that  time 
rejoicing  in  his  glory  in  the  secrecy  of  his  conscience,  and  in 
the  judgment  of  believers. 

Nor  does  he  stop  at  the  fruits  that  he  drew  from  it  in  this 
world.  He  looked  much  further.  For  he  does  not  simply 
say,  Live  well,  that  I  may  rejoice  ;  he  adds,  "  in  the  day  of 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  231 

Christ."     We  usually  call,  in  the  church,  the  day  which  Jesus 
Christ  was  raised  from  the  dead,  "  the  day  of  the  Lord  ;"  and  it 
appears  also  that  John  means  thus  in  the  Apocalypse,  when  he 
says  "  that  he  was  in  the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  day,"  Rev.  i.  21. 
But  the  scripture  both  here  and  elsewhere  much  oftener  uses 
these  words  in  another  sense,  meaning  the  day  of  the  last  judg- 
ment to  which  the  Lord  Jesus  will  come  from  heaven  in  the 
glory  of  the  Father  to  judge  both  the  quick  and  dead,  as  we 
have  before  remarked,  (Sermon  I.  p.  26,)  where  we  proved  to 
you  that  this  method  of  speaking  is  drawn  from  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, which  usually  calls  the  day  of  the  Lord,  as  you  may 
see  in  many  places  in  the  prophets,  the  time  in  which  God  wiil 
display  his  judgments  on  men,  both  in  delivering  his  church, 
and  in  punishing  the  wicked.     For  though  he  dispenses  and 
governs  all  parts  of  time,  and  though,  properly  speaking,  there 
is  no  day  which  is  not  his,  nevertheless,  those"  destined  for  the 
execution  of  his  judgments  belong  to  him  in  a  peculiar  man- 
ner.    If  we  look  at  the  exterior  of  things,  it  appears  as  if  he 
abandoned  other  times  to  disorder  and  confusion,  leaving  it  in 
the  power  of  Satan  to  dispose  of  and  abuse  them  to  the  execu- 
tion of  his  pernicious  designs,  from  whence  it  arises  that  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  calls  them  the  hour  of  the  wicked  :  "  This  is 
your  hour,  and  the  power  of  darkness,"  said  he  to  the  Jews, 
Luke  xxii.  53,  speaking  of  the  time  they  were  about  putting  him 
to  death.     But  when  God  comes  to  display  his  arm,  confound- 
ing his  enemies,  and  consoling  his  children  by  some  grand  and 
illustrious  act  of  his  providence,  constraining  the  most  obsti- 
nate to  acknowledge  that  it  is  the  work  of  his  hand,  then  it  is 
truly  his  day,  his  time,  set  apart  and  employed  for  his  work. 
And  as  there  shines  in  all  judgment  some  representation  of  this 
proceeding  of  God,  it  hence  arises  that  when  the  word  "  day," 
is  used  in  connection  with  any  judge  who  manifests  his  author- 
ity, justice,  and  power  in  the  exercise  of  his  office,  it  is  taken 
simply  to  mean  judgment  ;  as  when  Paul  says  in  the    First 
Corinthians,  "  that  it  is  a  small  thing  for  him  to  be  judged  of 
man's  day,"  chap.  iv.  3  ;  that  is  to  say,  by  the  judgment  of  men, 
as  our  Bibles  have  translated  it.     Perhaps  from  this  has  arisen 
that  method  of  speaking  common  in  our  language,  calling  "the 
great  days"  the  time  of  judgment,  which  the  prince  appoints  in 
this  kingdom  by  the  parliaments,  which  he  sends  sometimes 
extraordinarily  into  the  provinces.     Now  because  of  all  the 
judgments  that  the  Lord  displays  in  the  world,  exercising  in 
different  ways  the  power  which  the  Father  has  given  him  in 
seating  him  at  his  right  hand,  there  is  none  so  remarkable  or 
so  illustrious  as  the  last,  when  coming  from  heaven  with  his 
angels  in  supreme  and  incomprehensible  glory,  he  will  make 
all  men  appear  before  his  throne,  and  will  give  to  every  one 
according  to  his  works;  from  whence  it  arises  that  the  great 


232  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIV. 

day  destined  for  the  execution  of  this  by  the  certain  and  im- 
mutable counsel  of  God,  is  particularly  called  the  day  of  Christ 
on  account  of  its  excellence  :  and  it  is  for  the  same  reason  that 
it  is  sometimes  simply  called  "  that  day  ;"  as  when  Paul  prays 
God  would  grant  to  Onesiphorus  "to  find  mercy  of  the  Lord 
in  that  day,"  that  is  to  say,  in  the  last  day,  2  Tim.  i.  18  ;  and 
again,  in  2  Thess.  i.  10,  he  in  like  manner  says,  "that  the  Lord 
in  that  day  shall  be  admired  in  all  that  believe;"  and  some  ex- 
cellent expositors  take  in  the  same  sense  the  phrase,  "  that  the 
day  shall  declare  every  man's  work,"  1  Cor.  iii.  13.  It  is  in 
this  great  day,  then,  that  the  apostle  wishes  to  rejoice  at  the 
success  of  his  labour  in  the  church  of  the  Philippians.  It  is 
then  that  he  expects  the  fruit  of  their  obedience  to  his  word  ; 
and  he  speaks  of  it  also  to  the  Corinthians  and  Thessalonians 
in  the  same  manner  :  "  You  are  our  glory  (says  he  to  the  for- 
mer) in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus,"  2  Cor.  i.  14  ;  and  to  the 
latter,  "  What  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing?  Are 
not  even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his 
coming?"  1  Thess.  ii.  19.  It  is  not  as  we  have  already  no- 
ticed, that  he  does  not  rejoice  in  the  days  of  his  flesh  at  the 
fruit  of  his  labour,  the  conversion  and  piety  of  these  fine  and 
flourishing  churches  planted  and  increased  by  the  efficacy  of 
his  preaching,  giving  him,  doubtless,  even  then  an  extreme 
satisfaction  of  mind.  But  he  puts  it  off  to  the  last  day,  because 
he  here  comprehends  in  it  their  perseverance  in  holiness,  over 
which  he  could  not  then  rejoice  or  glory,  seeing  that  he  could 
not  have  an  entire  and  firm  assurance  of  their  state  for  the  fu- 
ture. The  conversion  of  the  Galatians  had  been  to  him  in  the 
beginning  a  subject  of  joy  and  triumph.  Their  error  had  since 
changed  his  satisfaction  into  anxiety,  and  his  hope  to  fear, 
when  he  saw  them  quitting  the  good  road  and  following  the 
seduction  of  false  apostles.  This,  then,  was  a  sly  goad  to  stir 
up  the  Philippians  to  constancy  and  perseverance  in  the  faith  ; 
as  if  he  said.,  Do  in  such  a  manner  that  I  may  rejoice  and  glory 
in  your  piety,  not  here  only,  where  everything  is  changeable, 
but  also  in  the  great  day  of  Christ;  that  the  good  beginnings 
which  I  have  seen  and  still  see  among  you  may  be  persevered 
in  and  crowned  with  constancy  ;  that  time  may  cause  no  change 
in  them,  if  it  be  not  for  the  better  ;  so  that  when  the  Lord  shall 
appear,  after  our  combats  are  ended,  I  may  then  also  have 
cause  to  say  with  joy,  to  your  glory  and  mine,  that  I  have  not 
laboured  in  vain.  Preserve  this  crown  whole  and  inviolable 
for  me  to  the  end  of  the  world  ;  so  that  in  no  time  to  come 
shall  incidents  or  trials  either  wither,  tarnish,  or  diminish  its 
beauty  and  glory. 

But  besides  this  reason,  the  apostle  has  thus  used  it,  accord- 
ing to  his  usual  style,  always  to  carry  us  back  to  the  last  day, 
because  then  will  be  the  final  and  complete  perfection  of  our 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  233 

life  and  glory.  Till  then  there  is  always  something  to  say 
about  our  happiness.  Here  the  flesh,  the  world,  and  our  infir- 
mities oppose  our  comfort.  Even  in  heaven  itself,  where  our 
souls  will  be  received  at  their  parting  from  this  valley  of  tears, 
we  shall  not  have  the  full  and  complete  satisfaction  of  our  de- 
sires; this  poor  flesh,  which  is  a  part  of  our  being,  remaining 
in  ruin  under  the  empire  of  corruption  and  worms  ;  and  a 
part  of  our  company  still  fighting  on  the  earth.  But  in  that 
great  day  of  the  Lord,  our  whole  nature  and  our  whole  broth- 
erhood being  fully  and  completely  delivered  both  from  evil 
and  fear,  our  joy  and  glory  will  be  perfect  in  every  respect. 
Nothing  will  then  be  wanting  to  it.  All  our  desires  will  be  en- 
tirely satisfied.  As  in  that  great  day  the  works  of  believers 
will  be  produced  and  displayed  before  the  eyes  of  heaven  and 
earth,  their  alms,  their  love,  even  the  smallest  fruit  of  their 
piety,  we  cannot  doubt  but  that  the  troubles  and  the  successes 
of  those  of  them  who  served  the  gospel  will  also  appear  in  that 
supreme  light.  Paul  teaches  us  this  expressly,  when  speaking 
of  them  particularly,  he  says,  that  they  shall  receive  the  reward 
of  their  work,  1  Cor.  iii.  14;  "and  then  shall  every  man  have 
praise  of  God,"  I  Cor.  iv.  5.  And  Daniel  had  already  foretold 
long  before  Paul,  "that  those  who  turn  many  to  righteousness 
shall  shine,"  in  that  happy  time,  "  as  the  stars  for  ever  and 
ever,"  Dan.  xii.  3.  How  admirable  and  how  great  will  then 
be  the  glory  of  this  great  apostle,  when,  accompanied  by 
so  many  millions  of  believers  that  he  had  formerly  begot- 
ten by  the  gospel,  he  shall  present  himself  before  the  throne  of 
his  Master,  saying,  with  the  prophet,  "Behold,  I  and  the  chil- 
dren whom  thou  hast  given  me  !"  This  is  the  fruit  of  the 
talent  that  thou  committedst  to  me.  It  is  the  production 
of  the  grace  that  thou  bestowedst  upon  me.  What  will 
be  the  joy  of  his  heart  to  see  himself  thus  miraculously 
multiplied  !  What  will  be  the  satisfaction  of  his  disciples 
thus  to  promote  his  glory  !  And  how  great  will  be  their  com- 
mon delight  to  hear  the  Son  of  God  praise  the  preaching  of 
the  one,  and  the  obedience  of  the  others,  all  being  together  re- 
ceived into  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  with  the  blessings  and 
applause  of  men  and  angels  !  That  is  exactly  what  the  apostle 
means  when  he  says,  that  he  shall  rejoice  in  the  day  of  the 
Lord  "  that  he  has  not  run  in  vain,  neither  laboured  in  vain." 
You  know  that  he  often  compares  the  life  and  plans  of  belie- 
vers, and  particularly  of  the  ministers  of  the  gospel,  to  a  race  ; 
so  that  he  here  means  by  this  race,  and  the  labour  of  which  he 
speaks,  the  trouble  that  he  had  taken,  and  still  took  daily,  to 
instruct,  teach,  and  admonish  the  Philippians  in  the  doctrine 
of  salvation,  and  all  the  functions  of  his  apostleship  towards 
them.  It  is  true  that  the  praise  of  the  servants  of  Jesus  Christ 
does  not  properly  depend  on  the  success  of  their  labours.  For 
30 


234:  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIV. 

if  they  acquit  themselves  faithfully  in  their  office,  their  reward 
is  certain  from  God,  in  whatever  manner  men  may  receive 
their  preaching,  as  the  Lord  expressly  declares  to  them  in 
Ezekiel,  "If  thou  warn  the  wicked  of  his  way  to  turn  from  it, 
if  he  do  not  turn  from  his  way,  he  shall  die  in  his  iniquity  ; 
but  thou  hast  delivered  thy  soul,"  chap,  xxxiii.  9.  The  God  of 
glory  judges  not  things  by  the  event,  which  is  not  in  our  power. 
He  sees  our  hearts,  he  looks  at  our  affection  ;  he  considers  our 
labour,  and  if  it  has  been  lawful,  he  does  not  fail  to  crown  it, 
though  the  wickedness  of  man,  and  such  other  things  which 
are  without  us,  may  have  hindered  its  effect.  We  shall  never, 
in  this  respect,  have  served  him  in  vain.  Our  labour  and  our 
race  have  always  their  certain  reward.  Nevertheless,  if  you 
turn  your  eyes  upon  those  to  whom  our  ministry  is  addressed, 
if  you  consider  the  design  that  we  have  to  gain  them  to  Jesus 
Christ,  and  to  lead  them  to  his  eternal  salvation  ;  one  cannot 
deny  that  in  this  sense  we  have  run  and  laboured  in  vain,  if 
our  labour  have  not  produced  in  them  that  faith  and  sanctifi- 
cation which  we  desire.  And  as  it  is  not  possible  that  we 
should  not  be  wearied  with  this  bad  success,  either  frustrating 
the  fruit  of  our  labours,,  or  secretly  opposing  them  ;  so,  on  the 
contrary,  it  is  evident  that  the  happy  success  of  our  ministry 
is  a  singular  blessing,  and  a  crown  of  honour,  so  much  the 
more  glorious  and  illustrious  in  proportion  as  our  labour  has 
been  great  and  more  abundant. 

It  is  then  in  this  meaning,  and  in  this  respect,  that  the 
apostle  here  desires  "  to  rejoice  in  the  day  of  Christ  that  he 
has  neither  run  nor  laboured  in  vain."  Believers,  let  us  all 
lift  up  our  hearts,  after  his  example,  to  the  day  of  the  Lord. 
Let  us  extend  our  thoughts  thither.  Let  us  leave  the  things 
that  are  seen,  which  are  perishable,  and  all  of  which  time  will 
destroy  one  after  another.  If  we  desire  glory,  (which  is  a  de- 
sire natural  to  all  men,)  let  us  seek  that  which  will  remain  un- 
moved to  the  great  day  of  the  Lord,  and  which  will  then  be 
made  manifest,  whatever  efforts  the  world  may  make  to  anni- 
hilate it.  All  the  glory  of  the  children  of  this  world  will 
perish,  and  the  praise  that  we  give  to  their  discoveries  and  their 
mighty  acts  shall  end  with  the  earth.  There  will  be  no  men- 
tion of  them  in  the  day  of  the  Lord,  the  day-spring  and  com- 
mencement of  eternity.  If  we  wish  to  have  a  share  in  it,  if 
we  desire  to  be  praised  by  the  mouth  of  the  King  of  glory, 
let  us  labour  for  the  advancement  of  his  kingdom.  He  will 
not  say  any  thing,  either  of  our  buildings  or  of  our  wars,  of 
our  government  or  of  our  books,  or  of  the  other  works  of  our 
vanity  ;  and,  far  from  rejoicing  in  them,  we  shall  be  ashamed, 
and  only  reap  from  them  regret  and  confusion.  Christ  will 
only  reward  in  the  light  of  this  august  and  venerable  assembly 
the  works  of  piety.     They  will  for  ever  preserve  their  grace 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  235 

and  lustre,  and  we  shall  obtain  by  them  on  that  day  a  truly 
immortal  glory.  May  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  be  occupied 
in  them  more  than  others,  and  may  they  be  warmed  with  an 
ardent  desire  for  this  real  honour  ;  may  they  employ  every 
moment  of  their  lives  to  edify,  by  words  and  good  examples, 
those  believers  who  are  committed  to  them  ;  remembering  that 
all  those  souls  whom  they  shall  gather  to  the  Lord  shall  be  so 
many  trophies  of  their  labour  which  shall  endure  to  eternity, 
and  after  the  ruin  of  the  world  and  its  elements,  shall  for  ever 
publish  their  praise  in  the  Jerusalem  that  is  above. 

But,  dear  brethren,  as  their  glory  depends  on  your,  piety, 
the  love  and  respect  that  you  owe  them  compel  you  to  con- 
tribute to  it  as  much  as  possible.  The  apostle  here  clearly 
shows  it  to  you,  wishing,  among  the  other  reasons  that  should 
lead  the  Philippians  to  holiness,  they  should  also  have  an  eye 
to  his  praise,  and  that  they  should  persevere  in  faith  and  piety, 
so  that  he  might  rejoice  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  that  he  had 
neither  run  nor  laboured  in  vain.  In  that  the  gratitude  of 
flocks  towards  their  pastors  consists.  I  acknowledge  that  they 
are  obliged  to  provide  for  their  support,  and,  for  the  spiritual 
things  which  they  have  received  from  their  hands,  to  commu- 
nicate to  them  temporal  things,  according  to  the  command  of 
the  Lord,  that  those  who  preach  the  gospel  should  live  of  the 
gospel.  But  the  first  point  of  your  gratitude  is,  that  heartily 
obeying  our  preaching,  you  may  give  us  this  satisfaction  in 
this  world,  and  that  glory  in  the  other,  of  being  able  to  say 
that  we  have  not  laboured  in  vain.  If  you  do  not  soothe  our 
troubles  with  this  fruit,  you  are  guilty  of  ingratitude  ;  just  as 
we  call  ungrateful  that  earth  which,  disobedient  to  the  culture 
of  the  labourer,  receives  the  grain  that  he  casts  into  it  without 
yielding  him  its  fruit.  If,  then,  this  painful  exercise  of  the 
offices  with  which  God  has  honoured  us  among  you,  if  our 
labour  and  diligence  to  acquit  ourselves  of  them  with  a  good 
conscience,  be  any  consideration  to  you,  dear  brethren,  profit 
by  it.  Receive  this  incorruptible  seed  of  the  gospel  that  we 
sow  in  your  hearts  with  faith  and  obedience.  May  it  germi- 
nate there  and  fructify  abundantly,  and  faithfully  yield  to  the 
Lord  the  glory  which  belongs  to  him,  and  to  us  the  praise  we 
wait  for.  May  all  your  life  be  crowned  with  the  piety  and 
love  that  we  preach  to  you,  so  that  to  our  common  joy  we  may 
one  day  both  of  us  appear  without  confusion  before  the  Lord 
at  his  last  judgment,  and  bear  away  together  the  praise  of  not 
having  run  in  vain.  I  say  the  same  to  those  children  who 
have  the  happiness  to  possess  fathers  and  mothers  careful  of 
their  instruction.  Young  people,  the  principal  gratitude  that 
you  owe  for  their  care  is  to  live  well,  and  to  shine  forth  in  the 
midst  of  the  world  as  holy  lights,  so  that  you  may  be  one  day 
before  the  Lord  a  crown  of  blessing  and  honour  to  those  who 


236  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIV. 

so  tenderly  love  you,  and  that  they  may  then  have  the  satis- 
faction of  rejoicing  in  presence  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  the 
labour  which  they  employed  in  your  cultivation  has  not  been 
useless. 

II.  But  it  is  time  to  come  to  the  second  part  of  our  text,  in 
which  the  apostle,  to  show  the  Philippians  how  highly  he  es- 
timated that  glory  that  he  had  just  asked  from  them,  declares, 
that  if  it  be  necessary  to  seal  with  his  own  blood  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  he  had  declared  to  them,  and  add  his  death  to 
the  labours  of  his  painful  race,  he  would  do  so  willingly, 
cheerfully,  and  without  regret  ;  which  he  expresses  in  rich, 
figurative,  and  excellent  language,  as  usual,  "  That  if  even  I 
be  poured  forth  on  the  service  and  sacrifice  of  your  faith,  I  may 
joy,  and  rejoice  with  you  all."  In  the  first  place,  he  compares 
himself  to  a  priest,  and  sets  before  us  the  conversion  of  the 
Philippians  to  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  brought  about  by  his 
preaching,  and  their  piety  as  its  consequence,  under  the  image 
of  a  sacrifice.  He  speaks  in  the  same  way  in  the  Epistle  to 
the  Romans,  where  he  says  that  he  "  is  the  minister  of  Christ 
to  the  Gentiles,  ministering  to  the  sacrifice  of  the  gospel  of 
God,  that  the  offering  up  of  the  Gentiles  might  be  acceptable, 
being  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost,"  chap.  xv.  16.  In  this 
mystical  sacrifice  the  apostle  was  the  high  priest  ;  the  gospel 
was,  as  it  were,  the  knife  with  which  he  spiritually  immolated 
his  victims.  The  Philippians  converted  to  Jesus  Christ  were 
his  victims  ;  for  as  also  the  ancient  priests  consecrated  to  God 
the  victims  that  they  offered,  so  also  the  apostle,  and  all  the 
faithful  preachers  of  the  gospel,  lead  and  offer  to  the  Lord 
those  to  whom  they  preach  the  word  with  effect.  Besides,  as 
the  priests  of  old  put  their  victims  to  death,  so  now  do  the 
ministers  of  the  gospel  in  some  manner  immolate  men  who 
receive  their  preaching,  making  them  die  to  the  world  and  the 
flesh,  drawing  out  of  their  hearts  vain  affections  and  lusts,  in 
which  their  life  consisted.  And  as  for  the  ancient  victims, 
they  remained  purely  and  simply  dead,  without  receiving  from 
the  hand  of  the  priest  any  kind  of  life  instead  of  that  of  which 
he  had  deprived  them.  But  it  is  not  so  with  the  men  whom 
the  ministers  of  the  Lord  immolate  with  the  sword  of  his  gos- 
pel. For  instead  of  this  miserable,  earthly,  and  carnal  life 
which  they  take  from  them,  they  clothe  them  with  another  that 
is  holy  and  divine,  and  infinitely  happier  than  that  which  they 
have  lost,  changing  them  by  this  mystical  sacrifice  from  chil- 
dren of  Adam  into  children  of  God,  from  old  and  perishing 
creatures  into  new  and  heavenly  men.  Besides  this  difference, 
there  is  still  another,  between  this  evangelical  sacrifice  and  that 
of  the  ancient  victims.  For  whereas  those  poor  animals  which 
they  immolated,  destitute  as  they  were  of  reason  and  intellect, 
suffered  death  simply,  without   any  act  on  their  part  taking 


CHAP.   II.]  TIIE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  237 

place  ;  now  the  victims  of  Jesus  Christ  are  only  immolated 
when  they  knowingly  and  willingly  receive  the  stroke  of  the 
gospel.  Thus  you  see  that  the  apostle  here  expressly  mentions 
the  faith  of  the  Philippians,  as  it  was  through  that  they  had 
been  offered  to  God.  From  whence  again  a  third  difference 
arises  between  these  two  kinds  of  victims.  For  whereas  the 
ancient  victims  remained  entirely  deprived  of  their  being, 
without  obtaining  any  new  one,  men  now  offered  to  God  by 
the  gospel,  besides  being  made  by  it  new,  living,  and  immortal 
creatures,  become  also  themselves  priests,  to  offer  themselves 
henceforth  to  God,  by  a  true  faith,  presenting  their  bodies  to 
him  in  sacrifice,  lively,  holy,  and  acceptable,  which  is  their 
reasonable  service,  as  the  apostle  says,  Rom.  xii.  1  ;  whence 
also  Peter  calls  them  all  "  a  holy  priesthood,  to  offer  up  spiritual 
sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by  Jesus  Christ,"  1  Pet.  ii.  5.  And 
this  is  the  reason  that  the  scripture  honours  with  the  name  of 
sacrifices,  all  those  actions  of  their  spiritual  life  which  they 
practise  in  faith,  as  their  alms-giving,  their  repentance,  their 
patience,  their  hymns,  their  prayers,  and  such  like.  Paul  com- 
prehends here,  in  my  opinion,  all  those  spiritual  oblations 
under  the  name  of  sacrifice  and  service  of  faith  of  the  Philip- 
pians ;  first  of  all  that  which  he  had  himself  done  at  the  begin- 
ning, converting  them,  and  presenting  them  to  the  Lord  ;  and, 
secondly,  all  the  works  of  piety  and  charity  that  these  believers 
had  offered,  and  still  offered  every  day  to  God  in  the  faith  of 
his  gospel.  He  considers  all  that  as  the  sacrifice  of  a  single 
victim,  immolated  at  the  beginning  by  his  hand  ;  and  since 
elevating  continually  before  God  upon  the  altar  of  his  grace, 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  where  he  had  placed  them,  the  perfumes, 
the  sweet  and  agreeable  odours  of  prayer  and  alms-giving,  of 
patience  and  other  christian  virtues. 

He  calls  it  "  the  sacrifice  and  service  of  their  faith,"  because 
this  whole  oblation  depends  on  faith,  and  is  only  done  by  it  ; 
neither  our  persons  nor  our  actions  being  capable  of  pleasing 
God  without  faith.  He  calls  it  our  service  or  liturgy,  in  the 
same  sense  as  he  names  it  a  sacrifice,  because  it  is  the  function 
of  the  ministry  to  which  we  have  been  consecrated  by  the  faith 
of  the  gospel.  And  as  formerly  the  ministry  of  the  Levitical 
priesthood  was  to  present  to  God  many  earthly  offerings  upon 
their  typical  altar  ;  so  also  now  the  worship  and  the  service  to 
which  we  are  called  is,  to  offer  continually  our  bodies  and  our 
minds  to  God,  with  all  the  fruits  that  they  are  capable  of  bear- 
ing, in  the  name  and  on  the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  true  and 
heavenly  altar. 

The  apostle  then  says,  that  if  he  be  poured  forth  on  the  sacri- 
fice of  the  faith  of  the  Philippians,  he  shall  be  joyful  and  con- 
tented. To  understand  this  completely,  we  must  be  aware,  in 
the  second  place,  besides  what  we  have  said  before,  that  the 


238  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIV. 

ancients  in  their  sacrifices  did  not  offer  their  victims  to  God 
simply  and  alone,  but  were  accustomed  to  pour  over  them  some 
liquor,  such  as  wine  or  oil.     As  to  the  pagans,  it  appears  in  a 
thousand  places  in  their  writings  which  still  remain  that  they 
did  the  same.     And  as  to  the  Israelites,  Moses  expressly  com- 
mands them  to  throw  upon  each  of  the  two  lambs  of  their  daily 
sacrifice  a  little  fine  flour  mingled  with  beaten  oil,  and  to  pour 
over  it  a  certain  quantity  of  wine,  Exod.  xxix.  40.     The  word 
here  used  by  the  apostle  is  precisely  that  which  he  employs  to 
signify  such  pourings  and  effusions.     From  whence  it  appears 
what  is  its  meaning.     For  continuing  the  metaphor  begun  and 
drawn  from  the  sacrifices,  he  compares  his  death,  and  the  pour- 
ing out  of  his  blood  in  consequence  of  it,  on  account  of  the 
faith  of  the  Philippians  and  of  the  gospel  that  he  had  preached 
to  them,  to  that  pouring  forth  which  was  done  on  the  victims 
which  had  been  immolated.     If  I  am  poured  out,  if  my  blood 
is  shed  on  the  sacrifice  of  your  faith,  so  that  nothing  is  want- 
ing to  this  divine  oblation,  I  am  ready  cheerfully  to  suffer  death 
on  such  a  good  account.     And  that  such  was  his  intention,  be- 
sides all  the  circumstances  of  the  text  evidently  showing  it, 
still  further  appears  by  what  we  read  in  the  Second  Epistle  to 
Timothy,  where,  speaking  of  his  approaching  martyrdom,  he 
employs  the  very  same  word  which  he  here  uses,  in  the  same 
sense  :  "  As  for  me,  I  am  now  ready  to  be  poured  forth  ;"  to 
which  he  adds,  as  if  to  explain  it  more  clearly,  "  and  the  time 
of  my  departure  is  at  hand,"  2  Tim.  iv.  6.     And  the  reason  of 
this  metaphor  is  evident.     For,  in  the  first  place,  as  this  part 
of  the  ancient  sacrifices  was  made  by  pouring  out  some  liquor, 
so  also  this  part  of  the  evangelical  service  of  Paul,  that  is  to 
say,  his  martyrdom,  must  be,  and  was  indeed,  made  by  the 
shedding  of  his  blood  ;  so  that  in  all  the  functions  of  his  sacred 
ministry,  there  is  not  one  that  has  a  closer  resemblance  to  the 
scattering  or  pouring  out  which  was  done  upon  the  ancient 
sacrifices.     And  more,  as  this  pouring  out  of  the  liquor  upon 
the  victim  was  the  seal  of  its  consecration,  so  also  the  death  of 
the  apostle  was  the  crown  of  his  ministry,  and  the  authentic 
and  solemn  confirmation  of  his  whole  doctrine,  which  would 
increase  and  establish  the  faith  of  the  Philippians  and  other 
believers,  and  be  more  and  more  the  means  of  consecrating 
their  spiritual  service  to  the  Lord.   Now  although  he  does  not 
say  certainly  that  he  shall  be  poured  out  on  the  sacrifice  of  his 
preaching,  but  speaks  of  it  doubtfully  and  conditionally,  simply 
saying  that  if  it  should  happen  he  should  rejoice  at  it  ;  never- 
theless, he  signifies  pretty  clearly  that  he  was  of  that  opinion, 
that  he  should  some  day  glorify  the  Lord  by  martyrdom.    Be- 
sides the  rage  of  his  enemies,  and  his  firm  resolution  to  con- 
tinue constantly  to  preach  the  gospel,  making  him  thus  believe, 
it  may  be  that  he  had  had  besides  some  warning  of  it  from  the 


CHAP.    II.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  239 

Lord,  like  that  which  he  had  given  to  Peter,  telling  him,  after 
his  resurrection,  by  what  death  he  should  glorify  God,  as  John 
relates  at  the  end  of  his  Gospel.  The  effect  answered  to  it  pre- 
cisely ;  for  although  God  delivered  him  from  his  first  bonds, 
according  to  the  assurance  that  he  had  given  the  Philippians 
in  two  places  in  this  Epistle,  he,  nevertheless,  permitted  that 
some  years  after  he  should  be  again  made  prisoner  and  exe- 
cuted in  the  city  of  Rome  ;  and  the  punishment  was  precisely 
such  as  he  had  signified  in  this  place;  that  is  to  say,  a  death  in 
which  his  blood  should  be  shed,  to  serve  as  an  aspersion  upon 
the  sacrifice  of  his  preaching,  all  the  ancient  historians  of  the 
church  unanimously  testifying  that  he  was  beheaded  by  the 
command  of  Nero. 

But  whatever  might  be  the  hour  and  manner  in  which  God 
should  be  pleased  to  dispose  of  him,  he  testifies  here  that  he 
was  quite  resolved  and  ready  to  suffer  martyrdom,  not  only 
without  regret  and  apprehension,  but  even  with  joy.  If  that 
should  be,  (says  he,)  "  I  joy,  and  rejoice  with  you  all."  You 
see,  believers,  what  a  change  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  has 
made  in  the  nature  of  things.  Death  is  to  other  men  a  subject 
of  fear  and  horror,  as  the  ruin  of  their  being,  and  the  end  of 
all  their  enjoyments.  To  the  apostle  and  to  the  true  disciples 
of  Jesus  Christ  it  is  an  agreeable  object,  a  subject  of  joy,  as 
being,  by  the  blessing  of  their  Lord,  the  crown  of  their  perfec- 
tion, their  entrance  to  immortality,  and  the  first  day  of  their 
triumph.  But  the  apostle  does  not  only  rejoice  in  it  for  him- 
self, regarding  his  own  pouring  forth  as  the  last  of  his  painful 
services,  as  the  end  of  his  labour,  and  the  beginning  of  his  rest 
and  glory  ;  he  also  rejoices  in  it  for  the  Philippians  and  for 
other  believers.  For  that  is  what  he  means  when  he  says,  "  I 
rejoice  with  you  all  ;"  because  in  truth  this  last  part  of  his 
ministry  ought  to  be  very  useful  to  them  in  sealing  and  con- 
firming their  faith  by  such  an  illustrious  teaching  of  celestial 
truth.  For  if  his  bonds  had  served  to  such  a  great  furtherance 
of  the  gospel,  as  he  said  before,  how  much  more  efficacious 
would  his  death  be  for  the  same  purpose  ! 

III.  But  he  goes  still  further,  and  wishes  that  the  Philippians 
should  feel  the  same  disposition  with  regard  to  his  martyrdom  ; 
that  they  should  rejoice  at  it  when  it  should  happen,  as  a  good 
and  happy  event  :  "  You  also,  (says  he  to  them  in  the  following 
verse,)  for  the  same  cause,  joy,  and  rejoice  with  me."  But  how 
is  it,  0  thou  holy  apostle,  that  thou  desirest  that  the  Philippians 
should  rejoice  in  such  a  time  of  mourning?  and  that  the  loss 
of  so  good,  so  admirable,  and  so  affectionate  a  master  should 
not  be  to  them  a  cause  of  sorrow  ?  Would  it  not  be  to  change 
them  into  rocks,  and  to  deprive  them  of  all  feeling,  to  compel 
them  to  such  a  strange  duty  ?  Thou  thyself  in  another  place 
hast   permitted  the  mourning  and  tears  of  believers  for  the 


2-iO  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIV. 

death  of  their  neighbours  ;  only  forbidding  them  to  afflict 
themselves  after  the  manner  of  the  Gentiles,  who  have  no  hope, 
1  Thess.  iv.  13.  And  we  read  in  Acts  viii.  2,  that  the  disci- 
ples made  great  mourning  for  Stephen,  the  first  martyr  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Dear  brethren,  the  command  that  the  apostle 
here  gives  the  Philippians  is  not  opposed  to  the  duties  and  feel- 
ings of  humanity.  He  does  not  absolutely  forbid  them  to  weep 
and  to  regret  his  death.  He  simply  wishes  that  if  his  absence 
is  painful  to  them,  the  fruit  of  his  sacrifice  may  be  sweet  to 
them  ;  that  they  should  not  be  so  attached  to  their  own  interest 
as  not  to  consider  his  ;  that  sorrow  for  his  loss  should  not  so 
fill  their  minds,  that  feeling  for  his  happiness,  and  joy  for 
his  victory,  should  not  also  have  a  place.  He  desires  that  they 
should  feel  as  they  ought  the  effect  and  usefulness  of  his  death, 
the  weight  and  authority  that  it  would  give  to  his  preaching, 
and  the  value  of  it  to  the  church,  gaining  some,  and  establish- 
ing others  in  the  fellowship  of  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  what  he 
means  when  he  tells  them  to  rejoice  at  it.  But  he  also  wishes 
that  the  benefit  that  he  himself  should  derive  from  it  should 
touch  them,  and  console  them  for  his  loss  ;  that  they  should 
see  the  victory  that  it  gave  him  over  all  his  enemies,  the  glory 
that  his  death  should  obtain  for  him,  the  rest  and  felicity  in 
which  it  would  place  him.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  last  words 
of  the  text,  "you  also  rejoice  with  me."  From  which  we  have, 
finally,  to  collect  briefly  the  principal  instruction  that  the 
apostle  here  gives  us. 

In  the  first  place,  he  shows  us  what  are  the  sacrifice  and 
lawful  service  of  the  ministers  of  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  church. 
It  is  not  to  offer  animals  to  God,  as  the  children  of  Aaron  did 
formerly  ;  neither  to  present  him  with  bread  and  wine,  or  (as 
they  do  in  the  communion  of  Eome)  the  flesh  and  blood  of 
his  Son  under  the  appearance  of  bread  and  wine.  Neither 
Paul  nor  any  other  of  the  sacred  authors  teaches  us  any  where 
that  the  Saviour  had  instituted,  or  that  his  disciples  had  prac- 
tised, any  thing  of  the  kind.  The  true  sacrifice  of  the  servants 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  to  preach  the  gospel,  to  convert  men  to  their 
Master  by  the  power  of  his  word  ;  to  make  them  die  to  the 
world  and  the  flesh,  that  they  may  live  according  to  the  Spirit  ; 
to  plunge  this  divine  sword  into  them,  even  to  the  dividing  of 
soul  and  spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow  ;  to  present  them 
to  God  as  so  many  living  sacrifices,  holy,  pure,  and  reasonable. 
But  if  there  be  any  question  of  a  propitiatory  sacrifice  to  ex- 
piate sin,  and  to  satisfy  the  justice  of  the  Father,  both  this 
same  apostle  and  the  whole  scripture  of  the  New  Testament 
teach  us  that  Jesus  Christ  has  offered  that  once  upon  the  cross, 
so  that  to  undertake  to  offer  another  would  evidently  be  to  ac- 
cuse his  of  insufficiency.  After  so  perfect  an  oblation,  it  only 
remains  for  us  to  rejoice  in  it,  to  apply  the  fruits  of  it  to  our- 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  241 

selves  ;  and  that,  in  gratitude  for  so  excellent  a  benefit,  we 
should  continually"  present,  by  Jesus  Christ,  "  the  calves  of  our 
lips,"  as  the  prophet  calls  our  thanksgivings,  and  the  fruits  of 
a  truly  evangelical  and  spiritual  life. 

This  is  what  the  apostle  teaches  us  in  the  second  place,  call- 
ing the  conversion  and  sanctification  of  the  Philippians,  the 
sacrifice  and  service  of  their  faith.  Kemember  then,  believers, 
that  having  been  sacrificed  to  God  by  the  gospel  which  you 
have  received  into  your  hearts,  you  have,  at  the  same  time, 
been  invested  with  a  new  dignity,  and  have  been  made  alto- 
gether victims  and  priests  of  the  Lord.  You  are  henceforth  a 
sacerdotal  nation.  You  are  all  in  Jesus  Christ  the  ministers 
of  the  living  God.  Have  ever  before  your  eyes  the  excellence 
of  such  a  high  office.  Keep  yourselves  holy  and  unpolluted. 
Flee  all  soil  and  filth;  touch  none  of  those  things  which  are 
dead  and  profane.  Exercise  that  holy  office  with  which  God 
has  honoured  you  with  care  and  fidelity.  Present  him  every 
day  a  pure  and  chaste  body,  a  mind  full  of  faith  and  good 
thoughts,  an  innocent  soul,  bowels  of  mercies,  a  mouth  dedi- 
cated to  his  praise,  lips  purified  by  his  divine  fire,  incorrupt- 
ible hands,  honest  eyes,  and  a  christian  conversation.  Present 
to  him,  on  the  poor  members  of  his  Son,  the  altars  that  he  has 
left  us  on  earth,  the  offerings  of  your  charity  in  abundance, 
and  with  joy.  Consecrate  your  goods  to  his  service  ;  employ 
and  use  them  but  for  him.  Dedicate  to  him  the  vigour  of 
your  youth,  the  prudence  and  experience  of  your  old  age  ;  all 
the  periods  and  moments  of  your  life.  And,  to  sum  up  all  in 
few  words,  may  the  thoughts  and  affections  of  your  hearts,  the 
words  of  your  mouths,  and  the  actions  of  your  body,  be  so 
many  sacrifices  set  apart  and  offered  to  the  Lord.  This,  my 
brethren,  is  the  service,  the  liturgy  (as  the  apostle  calls  it)  to 
which  the  faith  of  the  gospel  constrains  us. 

Still  it  is  not  enough  that  we  should  consecrate  our  life  to 
God.  Death,  which  is  its  end  and  final  part,  must  also  be  em- 
ployed in  the  same  use.  And  this  the  example  of  the  apostle 
teaches  us  here,  in  the  third  place  ;  all  of  us  ought  to  have  a  dis- 
position similar  to  his,  and  to  be  ready  to  suffer  death  cheerfully, 
and  to  shed  our  blood  with  joy  upon  the  service  of  his  faith, 
as  an  effusion,  or  pouring  forth,  agreeable  to  the  Lord,  if  he 
should  call  us  to  it.  It  is  the  seal,  the  crown,  and  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  sacrifice  of  the  christian,  by  which  he  confirms  and 
ratifies  all  the  other  parts  of  his  service,  by  which  he  glorifies 
God  and  edifies  men  in  the  highest  and  best  manner  possible. 
I  acknowledge  that  the  example  of  the  apostle  particularly 
concerns  the  ministers  of  the  Lord,  as  those  who  ought  always 
to  be  ready  to  sign  with  their  blood  the  truths  they  have 
preached  with  their  mouths.  But  in  reality  there  is  no  chris- 
tian who  is  not  bound  to  the  same  thing.  For  we  are  all  sol- 
31 


242  AN    EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.   XIV. 

diers  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  We  have  all  sworn  to  him  the  oath 
of  fidelity;  and  entering  into  fellowship  with  him,  we  have 
sworn  to  contend  even  to  blood  for  his  gospel.  And  what  can 
be  more  just  than  to  die  for  the  glory  of  him  who  made  no 
difficulty  in  dying  for  our  salvation?  And  if  we  do  not  find 
this  disposition  in  ourselves,  let  us  blame  our  own  cowardice, 
and  the  imperfection  of  our  faith.  We  every  day  see  men  of 
the  world  cheerfully  sacrifice  their  life  to  an  empty  idol,  which 
they  falsely  call  honour;  and  there  is  not  one  of  them  who 
would  not  willingly  meet  his  rival  every  time  that  the  laws 
of  this  unjust  and  imaginary  rule  of  their  own  vanity  calls 
upon  them  so  to  do,  without  the  menaces  both  of  the  justice 
of  God  or  man  being  capable  of  preventing  them,  and  they 
consider  them  as  cowards  and  deprived  of  honour  who  would 
draw  back.  Christians!  shall  we  not  have  for  the  service  of 
God,  and  for  a  true  and  solid  glory,  the  same  courage  that 
they  have  for  an  empty  imagination  ?  But  all  our  cowardice 
arises  from  the  weakness  of  our  faith.  If  we  were  firmly  per- 
suaded that  Jesus  Christ  will  crown  with  glory  and  immor- 
tality all  those  who  suffer  for  his  name,  we  should  embrace 
such  opportunities  with  joy.  We  should  fly  to  them  as  the 
first  christians  did  formerly,  and  acknowledge  that  it  is  the 
highest  honour  that  could  ever  happen  to  us  to  shed  our  blood 
in  so  good  a  cause,  and  the  issue  of  which  is  so  undoubtedly 
blessed. 

But  the  example  of  the  apostle  ought  to  extend  still  further 
than  martyrdom.  All  are  not  called  to  shed  their  blood. 
But  there  are  none  who  are  not  called  to  die.  Prepare  your- 
self then  in  general,  O  christian  !  for  that  death  which  is  inev- 
itable, from  whatever  hand  it  may  come,  whether  by  nature 
or  by  the  hand  of  men,  with  a  steady,  cheerful,  and  rejoicing 
mind.  Lay  down  your  life  willingly,  and  resign  it  cheerfully 
into  the  hand  of  God  when  he  shall  demand  it  from  you.  Let 
him  not  take  it  from  you  by  force  and  in  spite  of  you,  as  from 
a  faithless  trustee;  but  let  him  rather  receive  it  as  a  sacrifice 
that  you  yourselves  present  with  thanksgivings.  Remember, 
even  in  this  time  of  extremity,  the  honour  of  your  priesthood, 
of  the  obedience  that  you  owe  to  God,  and  the  edification  that 
you  are  bound  to  afford  to  your  neighbours.  Do  not  allow 
yourselves  to  be  surprised  by  the  fancies  of  ignorance  and 
error,  which  paint  death  to  us  as  the  chief  of  evils.  Think 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  has  deprived  it  of  its  sting,  and  spoiled  it 
of  all  it  had  of  sorrow.  Henceforth  it  cannot  hurt  you.  It 
will  perfect  instead  of  destroying  you.  It  delivers  you  from 
a  rough  and  troublesome  combat,  and  places  you  in  a  blessed 
peace.  It  only  takes  earth  from  you  to  give  you  heaven,  and 
merely  removes  you  from  the  company  of  men  that  you  may 
enjoy  that  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  saints.     But  as  the  apostle 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  243 

instructs  us  by  his  example  to  die  with  joy,  he  also  commands 
us  to  support  the  death  of  our  brethren  with  patience,  and  to 
put  away  from  amongst  us  that  obstinate  mourning,  and  those 
inconsolable  tears,  which  weakness  and  ignorance  shed  upon 
their  graves.  It  is  to  insult  a  martyr  of  Jesus  Christ  to  weep 
for  his  death.  It  is  to  injure  his  sacrifice,  and  to  pollute  his 
triumph.  Are  you  sorry  because  he  has  overcome  the  world, 
and  confounded  all  the  efforts  of  the  enemy  ?  Rejoice  in  it, 
says  the  apostle,  and  rejoice  with  him.  Indeed  there  is  much 
more  cause  to  congratulate  than  to  pity  him.  He  has  finished 
his  sacrifice,  he  has  glorified  his  Lord,  he  has  been  faithful  to 
him  to  his  last  sigh.  He  has  confirmed  the  gospel,  and  testi- 
fied to  its  truth.  The  angels  have  seen  it  with  joy,  and  have 
accompanied  his  victory  with  their  applause.  Jesus  Christ 
has  accepted  his  burnt-offering,  and,  receiving  his  soul  into 
heaven,  has  crowned  him  with  his  glory.  Who  does  not  see, 
that  if  we  love  the  Lord,  and  the  servant  that  he  has  conse- 
crated to  himself,  we  ought  to  rejoice  in  his  happiness  ?  Thus 
we  read  that  in  the  first  ages  of  Christianity  the  interments  of 
the  martyrs  were  rather  triumphs  than  funerals.  All  of  them 
resounded  with  praises,  and  hymns,  and  thanksgivings,  as  is 
particularly  mentioned  in  the  book  of  the  Passion  of  Cyprian. 
My  dear  brethren,  these  same  reasons  oblige  us  to  support,  in 
like  manner,  the  death  of  other  believers  ;  for  although  not 
martyrs,  they  are,  nevertheless,  those  who  have  died  in  the 
Lord,  and  have  changed  their  earthly  tabernacle  for  a  heavenly 
habitation.  Every  species  of  death  of  his  beloved  ones  is  pre- 
cious in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  Psal.cxvi.  15.  Do  not  weep  for 
him  who  is  most  blessed,  who  sins  no  more,  who  rejoices  in 
God,  who  is  in  the  harbour  of  salvation,  free  from  the  agita- 
tions and  tempests  of  life.  And  if  you  regret  the  loss  of  his 
conversation,  let  the  consideration  of  his  well-being  soften 
your  sorrow  with  the  hope  of  one  day  meeting  him  again  in 
the  kingdom  of  God.  For  thus  we  must  take  these  kinds  of 
affliction,  and  all  others,  for  occasions  of  lifting  our  hearts  to- 
wards heaven,  and  in  good  time  to  set  our  affairs  in  order, 
faithfully  employing  the  life  and  death  both  of  ourselves  and 
others  to  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  waiting  for  his  great  day,  when 
he  will  wipe  away  all  tears,  and  will  give  us  the  fruits  of  our 
faith  and  hope  in  the  eternal  possession  of  his  blessed  glory. 
To  him,  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  true  and 
only  God,  eternally  blessed,  be  honour  and  glory  for  ever  and 
ever. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  /Sunday,  21st  April,  1641. 


244  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.   XV. 

SERMON  XV. 

VERSES    19 — 24. 

But  I  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  to  send  Timotheus  shortly  unto  you, 
that  I  also  may  be  of  good  comfort,  when  I  know  your  state. 
For  I  have  no  man  like-minded,  who  will  naturally  care  for 
your  state.  For  all  seek  their  own,  not  the  things  that  are  Jesus 
Christ's.  But  ye  know  the  proof  of  him,  that,  as  a  son  with  the 
father,  he  hath  served  with  me  in  the  gospel.  Him,  therefore,  I 
hope  to  send  presently,  so  soon  as  I  shall  see  how  it  will  go  with 
me.  But  I  trust  in  the  Lord  that  I  also  myself  shall  come 
shortly. 

What  the  apostle  here  says,  that  the  care  of  all  the 
churches  was  continually  upon  him,  2  Cor.  xi.  28,  appears  in 
all  his  Epistles,  but  is  especially  discoverable  in  this  to  the 
Philippians.  For  although  his  sad  condition  when  in  Rome, 
a  captive  in  the  prison  of  Nero,  and  in  danger  of  his  life, 
might  seem  to  exclude  every  other  care,  nevertheless,  the  af- 
fection which  he  bore  to  that  dear  flock  pressed  so  heavily  on 
his  holy  mind,  that  his  own  danger  could  not  prevent  his 
thinking  of  their  safety.  He  thought  of  them  under  the  tri- 
bunal itself,  which  was  about  to  judge  his  life,  and  is  in  more 
trouble  about  their  salvation  than  his  own  safety.  They  had 
sent  him  Epaphroditus,  their  pastor,  to  wait  upon  him  in  his 
necessity  ;  and  this  good  minister  of  God  acquitted  himself  of 
that  office  towards  him  with  all  the  love  and  fidelity  in  his 
power.  But  the  holy  apostle,  fearing  that  his  absence  might 
be  injurious  to  them,  sent  him  back  to  them,  as  we  hear  at  the 
end  of  this  chapter,  choosing  rather  to  be  without  his  attentions 
and  good  offices  than  to  deprive  this  church  of  them.  He  is 
not  satisfied  with  doing  this,  he  accompanies  it  with  this  beau- 
tiful Epistle,  in  which  he  gives  them  salutary  advice  against 
all  kinds  of  errors,  and  arms  their  faith,  and  establishes  their 
consolation,  with  an  inconceivable  diligence  and  ardour. 
Still  all  this  does  not  suffice  his  affection.  He  wishes  to  send 
Timothy  to  them,  that  is  to  say,  his  right  band  and  his  other 
half,  that  he  might  assure  their  salvation  by  the  presence  of 
such  an  excellent  servant  of  God  ;  and,  after  all,  to  go  and  see 
them  himself  as  soon  as  he  should  be  at  liberty,  the  love  that 
he  bore  them  not  being  satisfied  with  any  thing  short  of  that. 
This,  my  brethren,  is  what  he  promises  them  in  the  text, 
where,  cutting  the  thread  of  the  exhortations  that  he  had  given 
them  in  the  preceding  verses,  he  declares,  "  But  I  hope  to  send 
Timothy  unto  you  shortly  ;"  as  if  he  had  said,  It  is  not  neces- 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  24$ 

sary  for  me  to  enlarge  any  more  in  these  instructions,  having 
the  intention  of  sending  them,  on  the  earliest  day,  another 
living  Epistle,  that  is  to  say,  his  dear  Timothy,  who  was  very 
able  to  improve  them  in  every  thing  necessary  for  their  edifi- 
cation and  consolation.  He  then  adds  the  reasons  which  had 
induced  him  to  choose  him  rather  than  any  other  for  this  em- 
ployment, which  were  drawn  from  his  incomparable  zeal  and 
fidelity  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  proved  by  long  and  tried 
experience  ;  "  For  I  have  no  man  like-minded,  who  will  natu- 
rally care  for  your  state.  For  all  seek  their  own,  and  not  the 
things  that  are  Jesus  Christ's.  But  ye  know  the  proof  of  him, 
that,  as  a  son  with  the  father,  he  hath  served  with  me  in  the 
gospel.  Him,  therefore,  I  hope  to  send  presently,  so  soon  as 
I  shall  see  how  it  will  go  with  me."  And,  finally,  he  gives 
them  hope  that  he  shall  see  them  himself  at  an  early  day: 
"  But  I  trust  in  the  Lord  that  I  also  myself  shall  come  shortly." 
Thus  we  have,  by  God's  help,  to  treat  of  three  points  in  this 
discourse:  the  promise  of  sending  Timothy;  his  recommenda- 
tion and  praise;  and  the  assurance  of  the  apostle's  arrival 
among  the  Philippians. 

I.  The  promise  of  sending  Timothy.  Their  church,  newly 
planted  by  Paul,  like  a  young  plant  still  tender  and  weak,  had 
need  of  support,  and  so  much  the  more  so  on  account  of  the 
attacks  of  enemies,  who  did  all  in  their  power  to  ruin  it.  It 
flourished  in  the  midst  of  the  thorns  and  briers  of  infidelity, 
whilst  the  cruelty  of  the  Jews  and  pagans  was  likely  to  stifle 
it  easily  if  it  were  not  assisted.  This  occasioned  Paul's  anx- 
iety, fearing  every  moment  lest  Satan,  who  never  sleeps,  should 
pull  up,  or  at  least  shake,  these  new  plants  of  the  Lord.  The 
account  that  he  had  received  from  Epaphroditus  redoubled  his 
fears  that  evil  workers,  the  teachers  of  circumcision,  who,  in 
these  early  times,  troubled  the  greater  part  of  the  flocks  of 
Jesus  Christ,  had  also  attacked  that  of  the  Philippians.  It  is 
then  to  soothe  his  own  trouble,  and  to  strengthen  these  be- 
lievers, that,  not  contented  with  sending  Epaphroditus  back 
to  them,  he  promises  to  make  Timothy  soon  follow  him,  one 
of  the  most  celebrated  ministers  of  the  Lord,  known  in  Asia 
and  in  Europe  by  the  great  services  which  he  had  rendered  to 
the  gospel  ;  so  that  the  hope  of  such  considerable  assistance 
should  support  and  strengthen  them;  in  like  manner,  you  see 
a  place  acquires  new  courage  and  vigour  to  resist  the  enemy 
who  keeps  it  in  a  state  of  siege,  when  its  prince  gives  it  the 
hope  of  very  soon  sending  it  powerful  aid.  "  But  I  trust  in 
the  Lord  to  send  Timothy  unto  you  shortly,  that  I  also  may 
be  of  good  comfort,  when  I  know  your  state."  He  here  sets 
before  us  two  things  :  the  sending  of  Timothy,  and  the  object 
or  reason  of  so  sending  him.  On  the  first  we  have  to  remark, 
that  he  does  not  simply  and  absolutely  say,  I  will  send  Timothy 


246  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XV 

to  you,  but  I  hope  to  send  him  to  you,  and  still  more  modifies  his 
hope  by  adding,  "  I  hope  in  the  Lord  Jesus."  As  the  actions,  and 
even  the  words  of  the  apostle  ought  to  serve  as  examples  and  in- 
struction for  us,  let  us  learn  from  these,  my  brethren,  what 
they  clearly  signify,  that  we  should  never  be  entirely  certain 
about  things  to  come,  of  which  God  has  given  us  no  assurance: 
this  I  expressly  add,  to  exclude  from  this  proposition  the 
things  that  the  Lord  has  promised  in  his  word,  as  the  continu- 
ance of  his  grace,  and  the  inheritance  of  his  glory.  Of  these 
Paul  in  many  places  speaks  with  entire  confidence,  being  fully 
persuaded  that  nothing  shall  be  able  to  separate  him  from  the 
love  of  the  Lord  ;  and  we  can  and  ought,  after  his  example, 
to  be  certain  also  of  the  promise  of  God,  that  none  shall  ever 
pluck  us  frora  his  hand  ;  and  that  he  will  bring  us  out  of  all 
our  temptations,  making  it  as  certain  as  if  it  was  performing 
or  already  accomplished.  As  to  other  things,  of  which  we 
have  not  the  promise  in  the  divine  word,  such  as  the  circum- 
stances and  events  of  our  common  life,  we  may  hope  for  them, 
as  the  apostle  does  in  this  place,  but  not  be  certain  of  them,  all 
their  success  depending  on  the  will  of  God,  of  which  we  have 
not  the  knowledge.  The  issue  of  things  does  not  always  de- 
pend on  their  disposition  and  appearance.  A  moment  often 
changes  their  order,  and  overturns  all  the  opinions  which  the 
reason  of  men  had  formed  of  them  ;  God,  the  sovereign  Lord 
and  ruler  of  Ihe  world,  having  reserved  to  himself  the  right 
of  turning  them,  as  seemeth  to  him  good.  It  is  to  rob  him  of 
what  belongs  to  him,  to  take  for  granted  the  certain  issue  of 
things  to  come.  Our  life  itself,  the  foundation  of  all  our 
actions,  is  not  assured  to  us;  and  there  is  no  person  in  the 
world,  however  healthy  and  vigorous  he  may  be,  who  can  be 
certain  of  living  another  day.  How  many  do  we  every  day 
see  who,  an  hour  previous  to  that  fatal  moment,  were  perfectly 
well  !  This  is  the  reason  why  the  apostle  James  rebukes  justly 
the  rashness  of  those  who  dispose  of  the  future  as  if  they  were 
masters  of  it,  who  say,  "  To-day  or  to-morrow  we  will  go  into 
such  a  city,  and  continue  there  a  year,  and  buy,  and  sell,  and 
get  gain.  Whereas  (he  says)  ye  know  not  what  shall  be  on  the 
morrow.  For  what  is  your  life?  It  is  even  a  vapour,  that 
appeareth  for  a  little  time,  and  then  vanisheth  away.  For  that 
ye  ought  to  say,  If  the  Lord  will,  we  shall  live  and  do  this  or 
that."  Paul  loved  the  church  of  the  Philippians,  he  saw  that 
it  had  still  need  of  his  ministry,  and  knew  that  Jesus  Christ 
had  thereunto  called  him.  This  disposition  made  him  judge 
that  God,  for  the  good  of  believers,  would  preserve  him  still 
alive,  and  draw  him  out  of  those  sad  bonds  which  then  held 
him,  that  he  might  edify  those  believers  as  much  by  sending 
Timothy  to  them  as  by  his  own  presence.  From  hence,  then, 
he  expects  that  the  Lord  will  dispose  of  him  in  that  way. 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  247 

But  knowing  how  deep  are  the  judgments  of  God,  and  how 
much  higher  are  his  ways  and  thoughts  than  ours,  often  order- 
ing things  quite  contrary  to  our  reason  and  expectations,  he 
does  not  feel  entirely  certain  of  what  however  seemed  to  him 
probable,  and  remits  all  to  the  providence  of  the  Lord,  reposing 
humbly  under  his  shadow.  Dear  brethren,  let  us  imitate  his 
modesty,  and,  with  a  humility  similar  to  his,  let  us  leave  the 
future  in  the  hand  of  God,  only  disposing  of  it  under  his  good 
pleasure,  without  fixing  upon  any  thing  with  so  much  certainty 
as  not  to  be  ready  to  submit  to  a  contrary  issue,  in  case  that 
the  sovereign  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  order  otherwise  than 
we  wished  or  hoped  ;  let  us  acquiesce  quietly  in  his  counsel, 
and  after  having  resigned  all  our  thoughts,  hopes,  and  delibe- 
rations to  him,  let  us  always  add  the  clause  that  our  Lord  and 
Master  has  taught  us,  "  Thy  will  be  done."  Not  what  I  will, 
but  what  thou  wilt. 

We  must  also  remark  what  the  apostle  says,  "  that  he  trusted 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  to  send  Timothy  to  the  Philippians."  By 
these  words  he  evidently  gives  to  Jesus  Christ  the  empire  of 
the  universe,  and  the  providence  which  governs  the  issue  of 
all  the  things  which  pass  in  it,  according  to  what  he  had  pre- 
viously said,  that  he  was  highly  exalted,  and  that  his  name 
was  above  every  name,  and  that  there  is  nothing  in  heaven,  or 
in  earth,  or  under  the  earth,  which  does  not  bow  the  knee 
before  him.  For  as  it  is  of  the  Lord  Jesus  that  he  hopes  to 
send  Timothy,  and  so  to  console  the  Philippians,  it  is  clear 
that  it  is  on  him  that  all  the  events  necessary  to  do  so  depend. 
lie  was  in  the  bonds  of  Nero,  the  most  powerful  monarch  then 
on  earth,  and  the  most  opposed  to  the  doctrine  of  the  truth  ; 
so  that,  looking  at  the  thing  as  a  man,  there  was  no  great  ap- 
pearance that  he  should  get  out  of  his  chains  into  liberty.  But 
to  the  power  of  this  tyrant  he  opposes  that  of  his  Christ, 
knowing  that  he  held  in  his  hand  the  hearts  both  of  this  lion 
and  of  all  other  similar  beasts,  to  bend  them  as  he  pleased. 
He  knew  that  however  great  might  be  the  rage  and  confusion 
of  men,  yet  Jesus  was  their  Master  ;  that  he  governed  all  their 
actions  ;  and  that,  however  high  and  powerful  they  might  be, 
all  their  works  depended  on  his  will.  And  from  thence  it  ne- 
cessarily follows  that  Jesus  is  the  true  and  eternal  God,  of  the 
same  essence  with  the  Father  ;  the  government  of  the  world, 
and  the  guidance  of  all  that  passes  in  it,  requiring  infinite 
wisdom  and  power,  such  as  cannot  be  but  in  a  similarly  infi- 
nite nature,  that  is  to  say,  one  truly  divine  and  eternal.  Hence 
not  christians  only,  but  even  pagans,  and  all  men  generally, 
refer  the  disposition  of  the  future  to  God,  saying,  in  their  usual 
language,  "If  it  please  God,"  If  God  wills,  and,  With  the  good 
pleasure  of  God  ;  recognizing,  as  it  were,  by  the  secret  teach- 
ing of  nature  herself,  that  this  providence  and  disposition  of 


248  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XV. 

things  can  only  belong  to  a  divine  being.  How  then  can  we 
adequately  express  our  astonishment  at  the  blindness,  shall  I 
call  it,  or  at  the  fury,  of  those  who,  granting  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
the  guidance  of  the  universe,  the  inspection  of  the  hearts  of 
men,  and  the  government  of  all  their  affairs,  yet  refuse  him  the 
name  and  glory  of  a  true  and  eternal  Divinity  ?  As  for  us, 
beloved  brethren,  who  know  that  this  administration  of  the 
world,  and  this  supreme  providence  over  all  that  happens  in 
it,  is  the  highest  and  chiefest  part  of  that  glory  which  belongs 
to  God,  which  he  gives  not  to  another,  let  us  worship  our 
Jesus  in  all  assurance,  as  this  belongs  to  him.  Let  us  serve 
him  as  a  supreme  and  eternal  Divinity.  Let  us  on  his  power 
and  goodness  confidently  build  our  faith  and  hope,  and  let 
us  make  the  issue  of  all  our  thoughts  and  desires  depend  en- 
tirely on  his  will.  Let  us  implore  his  help  in  all  our  designs, 
great  and  small.  Let  us  be  certain  that  there  is  nothing  so 
difficult  that  we  cannot  do  in  him,  and  nothing  so  easy  that  we 
can  do  without  him.  Such  was  the  disposition  of  Paul  in  re- 
gard to  sending  Timothy  to  the  Philippians,  "  he  hoped  to  do 
so  in  the  Lord." 

Let  us  now  see  what  was  the  object  he  had  in  view  in  send- 
ing him  :  "I  hope  to  send  him  to  you  shortly,  that  I  also  may 
be  of  good  comfort  when  I  know  your  state."  It  is  certain 
that  the  first  and  chief  design  of  the  apostle  in  thus  sending 
him  was  the  good  and  edification  of  the  Philippians  them- 
selves, to  establish  them  in  the  faith  according  to  the  need  they 
had  of  it  ;  and  the  second  and  more  distant  object  his  own  joy 
and  consolation,  by  learning,  at  the  return  of  Timothy,  the 
good  state  in  which  he  had  placed  and  left  this  church.  But 
consider,  I  beseech  you,  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  this  holy 
minister  of  God,  and  how  exquisite  is  the  prudence  with  which 
he  manages  these  believers.  He  says  nothing  to  them  of  the 
first  object  which  he  had  in  view,  which  was  to  support  and 
strengthen  them  against  the  shock  of  enemies,  for  fear  that 
setting  forth  this  would  afflict  them,  by  appearing  as  a  secret 
reproach  of  weakness,  and  a  testimony  of  some  distrust  which 
the  apostle  felt  in  their  perseverance  and  piety.  He  speaks  to 
them  but  of  the  second  object  that  he  had  in  view,  which  was 
his  own  comfort,  rather  as  if  it  had  been  his  need  instead  of  theirs 
which  had  rendered  Timothy's  journey  necessary.  This  holy 
and  spiritual  address  of  the  apostle  ought  to  instruct  us  to  treat 
those  believers  who  are  committed  to  us  with  the  greatest  cir- 
cumspection ;  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  all  that  is  likely 
to  offend  them  ;  and  never  to  employ  towards  them  without 
necessity,  not  fire  and  sword  only,  but  even  bitterness  or  other 
painful  remedies,  remembering  that  our  ministry  is  to  comfort 
and  edify,  not  to  afflict  or  destroy.  I  know  well  that  there  are 
morose  and  inexorable  minds  who  will  not  approve  this  pro- 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  249 

ceeding,  who  will  accuse  it  of  complaisance  and  flattery.  But 
their  judgment  ought  not  to  be  in  such  high  consideration  with 
us,  that  we  should  not  rather  regard  what  the  édification  of 
human  souls  requires  of  us,  the  most  delicate  subject  in  the 
world,  and  one  which  ought  to  be  managed  with  the  utmost 
tenderness  and  moderation.  The  example  of  Paul,  which 
stands  in  the  place  of  law  to  us  in  the  church,  compels  us  to 
it.  For  you  see  how,  both  here  and  elsewhere,  he  seasons  all 
his  discourses  with  an  unparalleled  gentleness  and  love  ;  and 
never  with  that  which  wounds  and  offends,  such  as  remon- 
strances and  censures,  but  by  constraint  ;  and  at  last,  "  I  will 
send  you  Timothy,  that  I  also  may  be  of  good  comfort,  when 
I  shall  know  your  state."  Could  he  say  anything  more  gentle 
and  affectionate  ?  That  mind  which  braved  hell  and  the  world, 
which  smiled  at  prisons  and  the  threats  of  tyrants,  which  pre- 
served its  joy  entire  in  irons,  which  looked  upon  life  and  death 
indifferently,  could  not  bear  the  absence  of  the  Philippians 
without  trouble.  That  great  courage,  which  defies  and  despises 
all  the  rest,  yields  under  the  feelings  of  the  love  which  he  cher- 
ished towards  them.  This  passion  alone  was  able  to  melt  him. 
His  uncertainty  respecting  their  state  gave  him  more  trouble 
and  uneasiness  than  all  the  chains  and  threats  of  Nero.  I  shall 
have  no  rest  (says  he)  till  I  hear  news  of  you.  If  there  is  any 
languor  and  weakness  in  my  courage,  that  anxiety  alone  which 
I  feel  for  you  causes  and  maintains  it.  I  am  firm  and  strong 
against  the  rest  ;  it  is  here  only  that  I  feel  myself  weak.  But 
I  hope  that  sending  Timothy  will  relieve  my  anxiety,  and  at 
once  set  my  heart  at  ease.  Your  prosperity  will  increase  my 
courage,  and  once  knowing  you  to  be  in  safety,  I  shall  have 
no  more  fear  or  uneasiness. 

Such  was  the  feeling  of  the  apostle  for  his  Philippian  con- 
verts, and  such  ought  to  be  that  of  all  pastors  for  their  flocks. 
Judge,  then,  in  what  proportion  the  feeling  of  the  Philippians 
towards  Paul  should  be,  what  desire  they  should  have  for  the 
repose  and  comfort  of  a  man  who  loved  them  so  tenderly. 
Dear  brethren,  we  are  infinitely  below  this  great  apostle,  who 
never  had  his  equal  in  the  world.  But  however  weak  our 
ministry  may  be,  you  ought  to  cherish  it,  since  it  is  appointed 
for  you.  And  the  chief  favour  that  we  ask  at  your  hands  is, 
that  your  piety,  and  charity,  and  sanctification  may  be  such  as 
to  give  us  joy;  that  your  spiritual  prosperity  may  fill  our 
souls  with  delight  ;  so  that  knowing  the  happiness  of  your  state, 
we  may  have  (as  the  apostle  says)  so  much  more  courage  to  la- 
bour for  your  edification.  For  the  rest,  as  Paul  hoped  that 
sending  Timothy  would  give  him  satisfaction,  so  he  promised 
himself  that  it  would  afford  much  to  these  believers.  And  this 
is  the  meaning  of  the  word  "  also"  which  he  uses  in  this  text, 
"so  that  I  also  may  be  of  good  comfort;"  clear! v  taking  for 
32 


250  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XV. 

granted  that  he  alone  should  not  gather  fruit  from  it,  that  the 
Philippians  should  do  so  in  the  first  place,  and  he  afterwards; 
and  as  they  would  receive  great  comfort  in  seeing  Timothy 
amongst  them,  and  in  learning  from  him  the  deliverance  and 
happy  state  of  the  apostle,  their  common  master  ;  so  should  he 
also  in  his  turn  have  likewise  extreme  encouragement  and  re- 
joicing, in  knowing  from  this  faithful  deputy  the  prosperity 
of  their  church. 

II.  But  in  order  to  excite  their  hearts  to  this  expectation, 
and  to  make  them  more  desire  the  enjoyment  of  this  happiness, 
he  sets  before  them  in  the  following  verses  the  excellent  qual- 
ities of  Timothy,  which  compelled  him  to  appoint  him  to  this 
deputation  in  preference  to  any  other  :  "  For  I  have  no  man 
like-minded,  who  will  naturally  care  for  your  state.  For  all 
seek  their  own,  not  the  things  that  are  Jesus  Christ's.  But  ye 
know  the  proof  of  him,  that,  as  a  son  with  the  father,  he  hath 
served  with  me  in  the  gospel."  There  is  hardly  in  the  scrip- 
tures of  the  New  Testament  any  minister  of  the  gospel  more  cel- 
ebrated than  Timothy.  Luke,  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and 
Paul,  in  his  Epistles,  everywhere  make  very  honourable  men- 
tion of  him  ;  so  that  the  apostle  uses  his  name  in  the  title  or 
address  of  five  of  his  letters,  writing  them  in  his  name  and  in 
that  of  Timothy  ;  and  this  is  one  of  them,  as  you  have  heard 
at  the  beginning.  And  besides  that,  he  has  done  him  the  hon- 
our to  write  two  to  him  ;  the  last  of  which  is,  as  it  were,  the 
will  of  this  great  apostle,  in  which  he  commits  to  his  dear  dis- 
ciple his  last  wishes,  being  on  the  point  of  leaving  the  world. 
These  divine  pieces  teach  us  that  he  was  born  of  a  pagan  father, 
but  of  a  Jewish  mother,  named  Eunice,  daughter  of  Lois,  both 
of  them  gifted  with  excellent  faith,  and  celebrated  by  the  pen 
of  the  apostle.  These  two  good  and  religious  women  brought 
him  up  from  his  infancy  in  piety,  and  particularly  in  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  true  source  of  the  fear  of  God, 
and  salvation,  in  which  he  made  great  progress,  2  Tim.  i.  5,  6  ; 
iii.  15;  iv.  14.  And  having  since  heard  and  embraced  the 
gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  consecrated  himself  entirely 
to  his  service  ;  and  received  the  imposition  of  hands  from  Paul 
and  the  company  of  priests  or  elders,  and  followed  the  apostle 
in  the  greater  part  of  his  travels.  It  is,  then,  this  holy  man 
whom  the  apostle  here  intends  to  send  to  the  Philippians,  and 
to  whose  zeal  and  piety  he  bears  so  great  and  singular  a  testi- 
mony. It  is  not  to  flatter  him  that  he  praises  him,  but  to  re- 
commend him  to  the  Philippians  ;  so  that  seeing  the  opinion 
which  the  apostle  entertained  of  him,  they  might  desire  his  ar- 
rival, and  receive  him,  when  he  should  come  among  them,  with 
the  reverence  and  love  due  to  his  merit  ;  and  that  by  this 
means  both  his  expectation  and  arrival  should  produce  more 
fruit  among  them.     I  acknowledge  that  it  is  an  abominable 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  251 

and  pernicious  delusion  to  praise  those  who  do  not  deserve  it, 
and  I  still  further  confess  that  it  is  a  sad  and  odious  vanity  to 
praise  even  those  who  are  praiseworthy  without  some  reason 
compelling  us  to  do  so.  But  I  also  maintain  that  it  is  a  duty, 
not  only  just,  but  very  useful,  to  praise  and  recommend  the 
piety  and  virtue  of  believers  in  suitable  times  and  places.  In 
the  first  place,  it  is  like  a  tribute  that  we  owe  to  these  good 
qualities  to  acknowledge  them,  and  sincerely  to  praise  them 
everywhere,  where  we  see  them  shining;  and  it  would  be  in- 
gratitude both  towards  those  who  possess  them,  and  towards 
God  who  gave  them,  not  to  appear  to  see  them.  And  every 
body  knows  that  there  is  nothing  which  more  stirs  up  right 
minds  to  the  practice  of  honesty  and  virtue  than  praise.  It  at- 
tracts and  binds  them  for  ever  to  it  ;  giving  them  a  secret 
shame  not  to  continue  and  increase  to  the  end  in  a  thing  in 
which  such  an  honourable  testimony  has  been  given  them. 
Add  to  which,  this  recommendation  gives  efficacy  to  their  use- 
fulness with  those  with  whom  they  have  to  labour.  This  is 
the  reason  why  the  apostle  makes  no  scruple  in  this  place  to 
praise  his  disciple  Timothy,  and  has  willingly  engraved  his 
eulogium  in  this  Epistle,  as  upon  solid  and  durable  brass, 
which  has  hitherto  preserved  and  will  preserve  his  name  and 
his  glory  in  the  church  to  the  end  of  the  world.  This  exam- 
ple compels  superiors  to  render  similar  testimony  to  those  of 
their  inferiors  who  deserve  it,  as  fathers  to  their  children,  pas- 
tors to  their  sheep,  crowning  each  of  their  good  qualities  with 
these  sweet  and  agreeable  flowers  of  praise  every  time  that  oc- 
casion requires  it. 

Behold  then  how  the  apostle  exalts  the  zeal  and  piety  of 
Timothy  :  "  I  have  no  person  like-minded,  who  will  naturally 
care  for  your  state."  The  first  eulogium,  then,  that  he  gives 
him  is,  that  he  has  no  person  like-minded,  from  which  it  is 
clear  that  he  places  him  above  all  his  other  disciples.  But 
what  he  says,  "  that  none-are  like-minded,"  may  be  interpreted 
in  two  ways.  Some  think  that  the  apostle  compares  Timothy 
with  himself,  and  means  that  he  had  a  zeal  and  courage  equal 
to  his  own.  Others  imagine  that  by  these  words  he  is  compared, 
not  with  the  apostle,  but  with  the  other  disciples,  implying 
that,  of  all  those  who  were  with  Paul,  there  was  not  one  whose 
zeal  and  courage  were  equal  to  those  of  Timothy.  And  al- 
though both  expositions  are  good  and  beneficial  to  this  holy 
servant  of  God,  yet  the  second  seems  the  best,  from  the  rela- 
tion that  it  bears  to  the  following  words,  where  the  apostle,  to 
confirm  what  he  had  said,  "that  he  had  nobody  like-minded 
with  Timothy,"  adds,  "that  all  seek  their  own,  not  the  things 
that  are  Jesus  Christ's."  Be  it  how  it  may,  it  is  evident  that 
by  "  this  mind,"  whether  like  that  of  the  apostle,  or  incompar- 
ably greater  than  that  of  the  other  disciples,  is  meant  the  zeal 


252  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XV. 

with  which  Timothy  glowed  for  the  advancement  of  the  gospel, 
and  for  the  glory  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  his  affection  and  his  quick- 
ness in  embracing  every  occasion  that  might  be  useful  to  it, 
there  being  nothing  either  so  difficult  or  so  painful  that  he 
would  not  willingly  undertake  for  this  purpose.  It  is  a  quality 
necessary  for  all  christians,  but  more  particularly  for  the  min- 
isters of  the  gospel,  seeing  that  the  difficulties  they  meet  with  in 
the  exercise  of  their  office  are  likely  to  discourage  them  at 
every  moment,  if  they  have  only  a  common-place  affection  and 
courage.  The  other  praise  that  the  apostle  here  gives  Timothy 
is,  that  he  is  more  careful  than  any  one  else  in  the  things  that 
concern  the  Philippians  ;  in  which  you  see  that,  besides  the  af- 
fection which  he  bore  in  general  to  all  the  flock  of  Christ,  he 
had  an  especial  one  for  that  of  the  Philippians  ;  either  that  the 
stay  which  he  had  made  among  them,  or  the  noise  and  wonder 
of  their  extraordinary  piety,  or  the  sympathy  of  his  own 
feelings  with  theirs,  or  some  other  reason,  had  more  power- 
fully inclined  his  heart  towards  them.  He  expresses  the 
care  that  he  took  for  them  by  a  term  full  of  emphasis, 
which  signifies  a  great  anxiety,  which  filled  his  mind  with 
many  thoughts,  keeping  it  continually  balanced  and  divided, 
as  it  happens  sometimes  to  ourselves  when  we  take  the 
charge  of  a  thing  of  which  we  are  very  fond.  The  apostle 
still  adds  another  term,  that  he  may  better  set  before  us  the 
nature  of  that  care  which  Timothy  took  for  the  affairs  of  the 
Philippians,  saying  that  he  was  truly  or  naturally  careful  for 
them;  that  is  to  say,  without  pretence,  or  fraud,  or  hypocrisy  ; 
acquitting  himself  of  his  duties  in  all  frankness  and  sincerity 
without  seeking  any  other  thing  in  them  than  the  good  and 
edification  of  these  believers.  For  evil-workers  sometimes 
take  charge  of  what  belongs  to  a  flock,  but  with  bad  designs  ; 
one  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  another  to  gratify  his  ambition  or 
avarice,  each  rather  for  himself  than  for  Jesus  Christ  or  his 
church.  But  Paul  still  further  heightens  the  glory  of  Timothy 
in  the  following  verse  by  the  singular  rarity  of  his  virtue: 
"  For  all  seek  their  own,  not  the  things  that  are  Jesus  Christ's." 
His  zeal  is  so  much  the  more  admirable,  that  it  is  almost 
without  example.  In  a  great  multitude  of  disciples,  he  alone 
does  the  work  of  the  Lord  with  that  true  nobleness  of  mind 
which  only  regards  his  Master.  All  the  others  seek  their  own 
interest,  rather  than  that  of  Jesus  Christ.  In  the  first  place,  it 
is  clear  enough  that  the  apostle  does  not  here  speak  of  apos- 
tates, who,  carried  away  by  the  cares  of  this  world,  whether 
the  lusts  of  the  flesh  or  the  fear  of  persecution,  had  renounced 
the  gospel,  and  openly  quitted  its  profession  ;  as  that  Hy- 
meneus,  and  Alexander,  and  some  others,  of  whom  he  com- 
plains elsewhere,  saying  "that  some,  having  put  away  a  good 
conscience,  concerning  faith   have  made  shipwreck.1'      Such 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  253 

wretches  do  not  deserve  that  Timothy  should  be  put  in  com- 
parison with  them.  Paul  speaks  of  those  who  were  living  in 
the  profession  of  Christianity,  and  exercised  its  holy  ministry, 
and  who  were  numbered  in  the  company  of  his  disciples. 
From  which  it  appears,  in  the  second  place,  that  those  of  whom 
he  here  complains  were  not  profane,  and  who  took  no  care  of 
the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ,  nor  of  the  edification  of  his 
church.  These  words  of  the  apostle,  "  they  seek  not  the  things 
that  are  Jesus  Christ's,"  must  not  be  taken  simply  and  abso- 
lutely, as  meaning  that  they  took  no  care  whatever,  nor  gave 
themselves  any  trouble  with  the  affairs  of  the  Lord,  more  than 
the  Jews  or  the  pagans,  but  only  as  said  by  comparison,  to 
mean  that  they  sought  their  own  things,  rather  than  those  of 
Jesus  Christ  ;  that  they  preferred  their  own  interest  to  his,  and 
had  less  care  for  his  kingdom  than  for  their  oivn  comfort  ;  in 
the  same  way  as  the  prophet  Hosea  said,  as  it  is  quoted  by 
the  Lord  in  Matthew,  "  that  God  would  have  mercy,  and  not 
sacrifice,"  Hos.  vi.  6  ;  Matt.  ix.  13,  meaning  that  he  better 
liked  the  works  of  mere}'  than  the  oblations  of  the  sacri- 
fices; and  as  Paul  says,  that  God,  in  forbidding  to  muzzle 
the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the  corn,  took  not  care  for  oxen,  but 
for  us,  1  Cor.  ix.  9,  10,  signifying  that  in  that  he  had  much 
more  regard  to  us  than  to  oxen  ;  and  as  a  prophet  said  that 
the  Israelites  had  rejected,  not  Samuel,  but  the  Eternal,  mean- 
ing that  it  was  not  so  much  the  government  of  Samuel  that 
they  had  rejected,  as  that  of  God  himself,  1  Sam.  viii.  7  ;  and 
in  many  other  places  of  scripture,  where  this  method  of  speak- 
ing is  very  usual.  And  that  this  passage  must  be  so  taken,  the 
thing  itself  very  evidently  shows.  For  speaking  simply,  and 
without  this  comparison,  it  is  not  forbidden  us  to  seek  what  is 
bur  own,  and  to  take  care  of  our  own  interests,  and  of  those 
who  belong  to  us,  as,  for  example,  to  preserve  the  health,  rep- 
utation, and  faculties  both  of  ourselves  and  others.  Even  the 
apostle  teaches  us  elsewhere  that  it  is  a  grievous  sin  absolutely 
to  neglect  the  care  of  such  things  ;  declaring  that  if  any  one 
careth  not  for  his  own,  and  chiefly  for  those  of  his  own  family, 
he  has  denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel,  2  Tim. 
v.  3.  That  which  is  forbidden,  and  which  is  indeed  a  griev- 
ous sin  against  God  and  against  ourselves,  is  this  passion 
carried  to  excess,  when  we  have  more  love  and  affection  for 
our  own  affairs,  than  for  those  of  the  Lord  ;  when  we  love 
(as  it  is  in  Matthew)  father  or  mother,  son  or  daughter,  (let  us 
add  health,  repose,  honour,  goods,  or  life,)  more  than  him  ; 
when  we  seek  our  own  convenience  more  than  his  glory,  or 
attach  ourselves  more  to  our  own  interest  than  to  his  ;  and, 
in  a  word,  when  the  consideration  of  what  belongs  to  our- 
selves causes  us  to  be  wanting  in  his  service.  According  to 
this  divine  doctrine,  it  is  evident  that  the  apostle  does  not  here 


254  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.  XV. 

intend,  either  that  Timothy  had  no  care  whatever  for  his  own 
things,  (which  would  rather  have  been  blâmable  than  praise- 
worthy,) or  that  those  other  disciples  with  whom  he  compares 
him  had  simply  some  care  or  some  attention  to  their  own  in- 
terests (which  is  not  forbidden).  But  he  means  to  say  that 
Timothy,  having  placed  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the  chief  spot  of 
his  heart,  loved  his  glory  and  his  kingdom  above  all  things, 
treading  under  foot  that  which  was  most  dear  to  him,  when  it 
interfered  with  the  spread  of  the  gospel,  or  the  service  of  his 
church  ;  and  that  these  other  disciples,  on  the  contrary,  al- 
though they  had  some  regard  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
employed  themselves  in  preaching  his  word,  were  nevertheless 
so  attached  to  their  own  interests,  that  this  passion  made  them 
neglect  those  occupations  of  their  office  which  interfered  with 
their  own  comfort.  And  as  it  often  happens  that  the  interests 
of  Christ  and  his  gospel  are  incompatible  with  our  own,  you 
see  how  pernicious  this  foolish  love  is  which  prefers  earth  to 
heaven,  and  our  own  affairs  to  those  of  God,  in  all  our  call- 
ings, especially  in  that  of  ministers  of  the  word.  This  then 
is  what  the  apostle  reproves  in  those  of  whom  he  speaks  in 
this  place  ;  and  this  is  the  reason  why  he  does  not  reckon  them 
fit  to  be  sent  to  the  Philippians.  For  the  question  being  of  a 
long  and  dangerous  journey,  persons  who  loved  their  own 
convenience  so  much  might  not  easily  resolve  to  undertake  it. 
Believers,  are  you  not  astonished  that  even  then,  during  that 
blessed  golden  age,  when  the  presence  of  the  apostle  caused 
so  much  virtue  and  piety  to  flourish  on  earth,  there  were 
nevertheless  at  Rome,  even  in  the  society  of  Paul,  so  few  good 
and  noble-minded  soldiers  of  the  Lord?  "All  (says  the  apos- 
tle) seek  their  own,  and  not  the  things  that  are  Jesus  Christ's." 
I  acknowledge  that  we  must  not  take  his  expression  strictly, 
as  if  he  meant  to  say  simply  and  really  that,  except  Timothy, 
there  was  no  one  at  all  who  was  not  wrapped  up  in  this  cri- 
minal backwardness.  But  however  that  may  be,  it  cannot  be 
denied  that  this  manner  of  speaking  means  that  this  corrup- 
tion was  so  widely  extended,  and  so  few  were  exempt  from  it, 
that  we  may  learn  from  it  not  to  lose  courage  if  we  at  present 
see  the  same  evil  in  the  church,  and  so  few  labourers  of  whom 
we  can  truly  say  that  they  seek  what  is  Jesus  Christ's  and  not 
their  own. 

But  I  return  to  Timothy.  The  apostle  having  thus  preferred 
him  to  all  his  fellow  labourers,  adds,  "  But  you  know  the  proof 
of  him,  that,  as  a  son  with  the  father,  he  has  served  with  me 
in  the  gospel."  It  is  not  necessary  (he  observes)  that  I  should 
recommend  him  to  you  beforehand.  You  yourselves  know 
his  value,  and  are  not  ignorant  of  the  proofs  which  he  has 
given  of  his  zeal,  and  of  his  fidelity,  in  the  exercise  of  his 
holy  ministry.     They  knew  the  proof  of  Timothy  ;  first,  be- 


CHAP.  II.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  255 

caiise  they  had  seen  him  themselves  among  them,  there  being 
great  reason  to  think  that  he  was  with  Paul,  when,  by  direc- 
tion of  a  heavenly  vision,  he  passed  into  Macedonia,  and  went 
to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  town  of  Philippi  ;  and  perhaps  the 
apostle  had  also  since  sent  him  thither.  They  had,  secondly, 
doubtless,  heard  the  great  actions  of  this  holy  man  of  God,  his 
assiduity  and  fidelity  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  and  the  assist- 
ance and  service  that  he  had  rendered  to  Paul,  keeping  himself 
inseparably  attached  to  him  in  all  his  journeys  and  enterprises. 
And  this  is  what  he  expressly  says,  that  "  he  had  served  with 
him  in  the  gospel  as  a  son  with  the  father."  In  these  words 
he  praises  the  faith  and  modesty  of  Timothy  ;  his  faith,  in  that 
he  served  in  the  gospel,  signifying  by  that  he  employed  with 
zeal  and  assiduity  every  gift  that  he  possessed  in  preaching 
the  gospel  ;  yielding  to  Jesus  Christ  his  Lord,  in  this  enter- 
prise, all  the  duty  that  a  slave  owes  to  his  master  ;  sincerely 
proclaiming  his  word,  such  as  he  had  received  it  from  his 
apostles,  without  mixing  with  it  the  leaven  of  any  human 
doctrine  ;  seeking  his  glory  alone,  and  labouring  only  for  his 
name.  The  climax  of  his  praise  is,  that  he  had  served  w'ith 
Paul,  drawing,  as  it  were,  in  the  same  yoke,  following  and  im- 
itating him  in  all  things  ;  so  that  in  his  conduct  there  shone 
an  express  image  of  the  zeal,  courage,  sincerity,  and  laborious 
assiduity  of  that  great  apostle.  But  besides  this  imitation,  it 
also  signifies  the  faithful  association  he  had  maintained  with 
him  in  all  his  journeys  and  dangers,  and  the  part  he  had  taken 
in  all  his  victories.  And  it  is  to  this  that  the  following  words 
relate,  "  He  has  served  with  me  as  a  child  with  the  father  ;" 
that  is  to  say.  that  he  had  yielded  to  him,  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  all  the  obedience,  reverence,  subjection,  and  love  that 
the  best  son  could  have  yielded  to  his  father,  remaining  always 
attached  at  his  side  in  all  his  painful  and  dangerous  expedi- 
tions, softening  the  labours  of  the  apostleship  by  his  continual 
assistance,  flying  where  he  sent  him,  refusing  no  danger, 
whether  by  sea  or  land,  but  taking  as  kindnesses  all  those  la- 
bours in  which  Paul  employed  him,  religiously  obeying  all 
his  orders,  without  ever  infringing  any  of  them.  Indeed,  if 
you  read  in  the  Acts  the  history  of  the  apostle  left  us  by  Luke, 
you  will  everywhere  find  Timothy  with  him;  or  if  he  some- 
times quits  him,  it  is  by  his  command  to  execute  his  orders 
elsewhere.  Neither  the  rage  of  the  Jews  nor  the  persecutions 
of  the  pagans,  neither  imprisonment  nor  trouble,  neither 
storms  at  sea  nor  dangers  by  land,  could  separate  him  from 
this  holy  man.  He  gave  up  all  to  share  his  labours  and  his 
sorrows.  This  appears  also  in  the  Epistles  of  the  apostle,  in 
which  Timothy  is  never  forgotten.  And  this  praise  is  still 
greater,  as  he  was  yet  but  a  young  man  ;  and  this  is  the  reason 
Paul  says  here  that  he  had  been  with  him  as  a  son  with  his 


256  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XV. 

father.  For  is  it  not  a  wonderful  thing  that,  notwithstanding 
the  passions  of  that  age,  so  difficult  to  restrain,  disdaining  with 
great  courage  the  pleasures  and  exercises  to  which  youth  is 
given,  he  kept  with  the  apostle,  subjecting  himself  quietly  to 
all  his  directions,  employing  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  all  that 
strength  which  others  lose  in  debauchery  and  folly,  prefer- 
ring rather  to  weep  and  to  suffer  with  Paul  than  to  laugh  and 
amuse  himself  with  the  world? 

After  having  thus  nobly  recommended  him  to  the  Philippians, 
he  repeats  the  promise  which  he  had  already  made  to  them 
above  to  send  him  to  them  shortly  :  "  I  trust  then  to  send  him 
to  you  shortly,  as  soon  as  I  know  how  it  will  go  with  me." 
In  the  uncertainty  in  which  his  imprisonment  kept  him,  not 
knowing  what  would  be  its  issue,  it  was  difficult  for  him  to 
send  Timothy  far  away  from  him.  This  is  why  he  detained 
him  yet  some  time  ;  but  with  the  promise,  that  as  soon  as  he 
should  see  his  affairs  in  such  a  state  as  to  be  able  to  do  with- 
out him,  he  would  not  fail  sending  him  on  this  journey.  In 
which  he  plainly  testifies,  that  although  he  was  not  entirely 
certain  of  the  issue  of  his  bonds,  he,  nevertheless,  hoped  to  be 
delivered  from  them. 

III.  And  what  he  adds  in  the  third  and  last  part  of  this  text 
shows  us  still  more  expressly  his  opinion  :  "  I  trust  in  the 
Lord  that  I  also  myself  shall  come  shortly."  Before  he  had 
given  them  this  hope,  towards  the  end  of  the  first  chapter, 
where  he  said  to  them,  "  I  know  that  I  shall  abide  and  con- 
tinue with  you  all  for  your  furtherance  and  joy  of  faith,"  Phil. 
i.  25.  Now  then,  for  fear  that  sending  Timothy,  as  he  pro- 
mises, should  make  them  think  that,  changing  his  first  plan, 
he  no  longer  intended  to  visit  them  himself,  he  gives  them  this 
express  assurance  to  the  contrary.  In  which  you  see  on  one 
side  the  warmth  of  his  affection  for  the  Philippians,  and  on 
the  other  his  humility  and  modesty,  how  he  refers  all  to  the 
will  of  God,  saying  that  he  trusts  in  the  Lord,  the  same  as  he 
had  said  above,  "I  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  to  send  Timothy  to 
you  shortly."  Now  what  was  indeed  the  issue  of  his  imprison- 
ment, and  what  the  success  of  his  intentions,  we  have  formerly 
considered  very  fully  in  the  exposition  of  the  first  chapter,  in 
which  we  proved  that  there  is  great  reason  to  believe  that  the 
apostle  was  delivered  from  his  first  bonds  ;  and  that  he  saw 
once  more  the  churches  that  he  had  planted  in  Asia  and 
Greece,  which  is  precisely  what  he  hopes  here.  Thus  nothing 
now  remains  for  us  to  do  on  this  text  than  to  meditate  se- 
riously on,  and  reduce  to  practice,  the  instructions  which  it 
contains. 

In  the  first  place,  the  example  of  Timothy  teaches  you  what 
pastors  you  ought  to  desire  for  the  guidance  of  the  church, 
namely,  such  persons  as  have  courage  similar  to  that  of  the 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  257 

apostle  ;  who  may  be  truly  and  sincerely  careful  of  that  which 
concerns  their  flocks,  who  seek  the  things  which  are  Jesus 
Christ's,  and  not  their  own,  and  who  serve  the  gospel  with 
Paul,  and  as  he  did.     I  acknowledge  that  eloquence  and  the 
best  literary  acquirements  are  not  to  be  despised.     But  faith, 
zeal,  and  the  love  of  Christ  and  his  church,  are  the  principal 
parts  of  this  ministry.     This  is  what  you  ought  most  to  de- 
sire, seek,  and  esteem  in  your  pastors,  as  that  which  is  most 
needful  for  your  edification.     The  rest  serves  to  please  your 
ears,  this  to  the  salvation  of  your  souls.     But  this  lesson  es- 
pecially regards  us  whom  God  hath  called  to  the  exercise  of 
this  honourable  office,  committing  to  us  the  guidance  of  his 
church.     His  providence  has  preserved   the  eulogium  with 
which  Paul  here  adorns  Timothy,  exactly  as  if  this  were  to 
be  the  pattern  and  idea  on  which  we  should  form  ourselves  in 
such  a  way,  that  if  the  holy  apostle  were  still  upon  earth,  he 
might  conscientiously  give  us  the  same  praises  which  he  here 
gives  to  his  disciple.     But,  O   ye  faithful  ministers  of  the 
Lord,  whoever  you  may  be,  and  in  whatever  place  you  may 
labour,  the  absence  of  Paul  will  not  deprive  you  of  this  fruit 
of  your  labours.     If  you  are  not  praised  by  the  pen  of  the 
apostle,  you  shall  be  so  by  the  mouth  of  the  supreme  Master, 
who  sees  your  troubles,  and  regards  your  fidelity,  and  will  pro- 
claim them  one  day  in  the  presence  of  men  and  angels,  when 
he  will  bestow  on  every  one  of  his  servants  the  praise  that  is 
due  to  him.     Then  what  will  be  your  joy  and  your  glory, 
when  you  shall  hear  the  Son  of  God  in  that  august  assembly 
say  of  you  what  the  apostle  here  wrote  of  his  Timothy,  This 
servant  has  been  truly  careful  of  the  good  of  my  church  ;   he 
has  sought  my  interests,  and  not  his  own  ;  he  has  served  me  in 
the  gospel,  as  a  son  serves  his  father  !     Have  always  before 
your  eyes  this  divine  reward.     That  you  may  have  a  share  in 
Timothy's  glory,  imitate  his  zeal  and  fidelity.     Be  careful  of 
the  flocks  which  Jesus  Christ  has  committed  to  your  care. 
Rem  ember  that  it  is  for  him  you  labour,  for  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  of  the  world,  for  the  salvation  and  immortal  felicity  of 
men,  to  guide  souls,  which  he  hath  redeemed  with  his  own 
blood,  to  glory.     God  forbid  that  in  so  noble  a  design  you 
should  think  of  the  flesh,  or  of  the  earth,  or  that  you  should 
injure  such  a  ministry  by  low  and  mercenary  thoughts,  seeking 
reputation,  ease,  or  convenience  in  offices  which  ought  only  to 
serve  for  the  furtherance  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  edi- 
fication of  his  saints.     May  the  glory  of  Jesus  Christ  be  your 
only  desire  and  your  only  interest  ;   may  this  govern  your 
whole  life,  and  subdue  every  action  of  your  minds  and  bodies. 
And  as  this  should  be  your  sole  object,  may  the  gospel  also 
be  your  only  occupation.     Preach  it  in  season,  and  out  of  sea- 
son, with  your  voice  and  by  your  writings,  with  your  mouth 
33 


258  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.  XV. 

and  in  your  manners.  Mix  with  it  nothing  of  your  own. 
May  your  tongue  and  your  life  represent  it  faithfully,  such  as 
it  was  given  you  by  the  Lord  and  by  his  ministers.  Cast  the 
desire  of  ruling  behind  you.  You  are  called  to  serve,  and 
your  whole  office  is  but  an  honourable  servitude.  You  are 
not  the  lords,  but  the  servants  of  the  flocks  over  which  you 
preside.  This  is  what  the  portrait  of  Timothy,  here  drawn  by 
the  apostle,  teaches  ministers  in  general.  But  it  particularly 
warns  the  young  to  live  humbly  and  modestly  with  the  elders, 
to  look  upon  them  as  their  fathers,  and  to  soften  the  trials  of 
this  laborious  ministry  by  their  respectful  attentions.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  conduct  of  the  apostle  instructs  likewise  the 
elders  not  to  abuse  the  advantage  which  their  age  gives  them 
over  their  Timothies;  to  love  them  tenderly,  and  to  look  upon 
them  as  their  brethren,  and  not  as  their  slaves,  as  the  officers  of 
Jesus  Christ  "  who  serve  with  them,"  as  is  here  particularly 
said  by  the  apostle,  and  not  under  them  ;  to  praise  them,  and 
to  recommend  them  very  affectionately  to  their  flocks,  and  to 
do  all  in  their  power  to  render  their  ministry  honourable. 

This  same  Timothy  consecrating  his  early  years  to  this  holy 
office,  ought  also  to  incite  you,  O  christian  youth,  to  dedicate 
yourselves  at  once  to  the  service  of  God,  and  immediately  to 
awaken  those  among  you  who  have  the  necessary  gifts  to  de- 
vote themselves  to  the  holy  ministry.  And  God  be  praised, 
who  has  touched  the  hearts  of  some  among  you,  to  lead  them 
to  such  a  good  design,  crowning  their  beginnings  with  the  flow- 
ers of  his  grace  in  such  abundance  that  we  have  all  good  reason 
to  hope  for  much  fruit  in  its  season.  Follow  their  example, 
and  employ  to  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and 
to  the  building  his  house,  that  warmth  and  vigour,  and  those 
other  graces  which  your  age  consumes  uselessly  in  worthless 
occupations.  This  is  what  the  example  of  Timothy  teaches  us 
for  the  holy  ministry. 

But  dear  brethren,  do  not  imagine  that  you  have  no  share 
in  this,  under  pretence  that  you  are  not  called  to  this  office. 
I  acknowledge  that  the  holy  ministry  requires  certain  gifts, 
and  certain  peculiar  cares.  But  in  truth,  as  there  is  but  one 
and  the  same  salvation  for  the  pastors  and  for  the  sheep,  so 
there  is  but  one  and  the  same  way  to  attain  it  ;  and  those 
deeply  deceive  themselves  who  imagine  that  the  morals  of  the 
people  must,  or  at  least  may  be,  different  from  those  of  their 
guides.  Consider  then  also,  beloved  brethren,  this  example 
and  pattern  of  Timothy,  which  the  apostle  here  places  before 
your  eyes.  Children,  learn  from  it  respect,  obedience,  and  sub- 
mission towards  your  fathers.  Render  them  the  same  duties 
that  Timothy  yielded  to  Paul.  Aid  them  in  their  sorrows, 
accompany  them  in  their  travels,  console  them  in  their  adver- 
sities, be  to  them  throughout  their  lives  a  crown  of  blessing 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  259 

and  joy.  Fathers,  imitate  also,  and  show  towards  your  chil- 
dren, the  gentleness,  care,  and  friendship  of  Paul  towards  Tim- 
othy, loving  them  tenderly  as  your  own  bowels,  dedicating 
them  to  the  Lord,  placing  them  and  leading  them  in  his  ways, 
giving  them  in  the  purity  of  your  morals  a  beautiful  and  per- 
fect pattern  of  life,  which  they  may  follow  without  blushing. 
Youth,  here  learn  in  general  the  deference  which  is  due  to  el- 
ders. Treat  them  as  your  fathers.  And  you  who  are  elders 
in  age,  have  for  the  young  affections  and  feelings  similar  to 
those  of  our  Paul  towards  Timothy.  Train  them  by  your 
words  and  your  examples  to  all  godliness  and  honesty.  Re- 
gard them  not  as  strangers,  but  as  your  children,  and  unite 
with  one  another  in  a  holy  agreement  to  serve  the  gospel  of 
the  Lord,  advancing  it  every  day,  attracting  towards  it  those 
who  are  without,  establishing  those  who  are  within,  by  the 
good  example  of  a  truly  christian  life.  For  the  principal 
thing  is  that  all,  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor,  of  whatever 
age,  sex,  or  condition  we  may  be,  we  should  each  of  us  in  our 
calling  carefully  imitate  the  zeal  and  faith  of  Timothy,  that 
we  should  have,  like  him,  an  apostolical  mind  and  courage, 
burning  with  love  towards  God,  and  a  sincere  affection  towards 
his  church;  that,  detached  from  earth,  we  should  only  seek 
heaven;  that  the  affairs  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  his  kingdom  and 
eternity,  should  possess  our  hearts  day  and  night  ;  that  we 
should  henceforth  leave  ease,  convenience,  and  glory,  and  all 
the  other  petty  passions  of  this  vile  flesh,  to  embrace  the  inte- 
rests of  God;  that  our  whole  lives  may  be  only  one  continued 
proof  of  our  faith  and  devotion  ;  that  it  may  be  spent  entirely 
in  the  service  of  the  gospel,  in  that  same  course  in  which  Paul 
ended  his  old  age,  or  in  which  the  blessed  Timothy  sanctified 
his  youth  ;  that  we  may  serve  with  them,  that  we  may  enjoy 
as  they  do  the  peace  and  consolation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  in  this 
world,  and  his  glory  and  immortality  in  the  other.  So  be  it  ; 
and  to  him,  with  the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  honour 
and  praise  for  ever.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  /Sunday,  30th  June,  1641. 


260  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.   XVI. 

SERMON  XVI. 

VERSES  25 — 30. 

Yet  I  supposed  it  necessary  to  send  to  you  Epaphroditus,  my  bro- 
ther, and  companion  in  labour,  and  fellow-soldier,  but  your  mes- 
senger, and  him  that  ministered  to  my  wants.  For  he  longed  af- 
ter you  all,  and  ivas  full  of  heaviness,  because  that  ye  had 
heard  that  he  had  been  sick.  For  indeed  he  was  sick  nigh  unto 
death:  but  God  had  mercy  on  him;  and  not  on  him  only,  but 
on  me  also,  lest  I  should  have  sorrow  upon  sorrow.  I  sent  him 
therefore  the  more  carefully,  that,  when  ye  see  him  again,  ye 
may  rejoice,  and  that  I  may  be  the  less  sorrowful.  Receive  him 
therefore  in  the  Lord  ivith  all  gladness;  and  hold  such  in  repu- 
tation: because  for  the  work  of  Christ  he  was  nigh  unto  death, 
not  regarding  his  life,  to  supply  your  lack  of  service  toward 
me. 

The  preservation  of  those  societies  which  exist  amongst 
mankind  depends  upon  the  union  and  good  intelligence  of 
the  parties  of  which  they  are  composed.  It  is  of  great 
consequence  to  such  as  govern  clearly  to  understand  the 
minds  of  those  they  guide.  For  unless  that  be  the  case, 
their  obedience  being  forced  and  unwilling,  it  is  not  pro- 
bable that  their  union  should  subsist  long;  experience 
teaching  us  every  day  that  things  that  are  violent  are  not  of 
long  duration.  But  among  these  superiors,  there  are  none  to 
whom  this  esteem  and  this  disposition  are  more  necessary  than 
to  the  pastors  whom  God  hath  established  in  the  church,  be- 
cause their  whole  government  is  only  a  gentle  and  amiable 
control,  founded  upon  the  devotion  and  submission  of  their 
flocks,  and  not  a  regal  power  ;  that  is  to  say,  a  ministry,  and 
not  an  empire,  according  to  what  the  Lord  said  to  his  apostles, 
"  The  princes  of  the  Gentiles  exercise  dominion  over  them,  and 
they  that  are  great  exercise  authority  upon  them  ;  but  it  shall 
not  be  so  among  you,"  Matt.  xx.  25,  26.  And  even  if  the  pas- 
tors should  have  this  lordly  power,  which  some  among  them 
have  usurped,  contrary  to  the  express  command  of  their  Mas- 
ter, still  it  is  very  evident  that  it  would  be  useless  to  the  design 
of  their  office,  which  is  to  gain  the  hearts,  and  not  to  subject 
the  bodies  of  men  ;  so  that  to  edify  the  societies  over  which 
they  preside  they  must  be  held  in  great  esteem,  to  the  end  that 
everybody  being  persuaded  of  their  good  intentions,  may  will- 
ingly submit  to  their  guidance.  And  they,  and  all  those  who 
desire  the  welfare  of  the  church,  ought  to  do  all  in  their  power 
to  place  them  in  high  estimation,  and  to  turn  from  them  as 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  261 

much  as  possible  everything  that  is  likely  to  diminish  the 
opinion  and  respect  of  their  flocks  towards  them.  The  apos- 
tle Paul,  who  often  gives  us  this  lesson  in  the  instructions 
which  he  has  left  us  in  his  Epistles,  confirms  it  here  by  his  ex- 
ample, recommending  Epaphroditus  very  affectionately  to  the 
church  of  the  Philippians,  of  which  he  was  the  pastor,  and  dis- 
abusing their  minds  of  whatever  little  suspicion  they  might 
have  about  his  conduct.  These  believers  had  sent  him  to  Paul, 
then  a  prisoner  at  Rome,  not  only  to  carry  him  their  presents, 
and  the  aid  of  their  charity,  but  also  to  remain  about  his  per- 
son, and  to  yield  him  in  so  pressing  an  emergency  all  the  ser- 
vice he  possibly  could  until  the  Lord  should  otherwise  order. 
Returning  then  now  to  them,  that  they  might  not  imagine  that 
it  was  his  impatience,  or  his  delicacy,  or  any  other  bad  rea- 
son, which  had  induced  him  to  return,  the  apostle  shows  them 
that  it  was  he  who  had  sent  him,  and  sets  before  them  the  real 
and  true  reasons  which  had  led  him  thus  to  act,  all  much  in 
favour  of  Epaphroditus.  He  yields  a  plain  and  full  testimony 
to  his  piety  and  virtue,  and  highly  praising  his  fidelity,  and 
the  zeal  with  which  he  had  acquitted  himself  of  the  business  in 
which  they  had  employed  him,  even  to  despising  his  own  life 
for  the  work  of  the  Lord,  he  directs  them  to  receive  him  with 
peculiar  joy  and  affection,  as  an  excellent  servant  of  God,  and 
a  precious  gift  of  his  grace.  He  says  to  them,  in  the  first  place, 
in  general,  that  he  thought  himself  obliged  to  send  him  back 
quickly  :  "  I  supposed  it  necessary  to  send  to  you  Epaphrodi- 
tus, my  brother,  and  companion  in  labour,  and  fellow  soldier, 
but  your  messenger,  and  him  that  ministered  to  my  wants."  He 
then  explains  to  them  particularly  the  reasons  for  this  return, 
drawn  from  the  sickness  of  Epaphroditus,  and  from  the  desire 
it  had  awakened  in  him  to  see  once  more  his  beloved  flock  : 
"  For  he  longed  after  you  all,  and  was  full  of  heaviness,  because 
that  ye  had  heard  that  he  had  been  sick.  For  indeed  he  was 
sick  nigh  unto  death  :  but  God  had  mercy  on  him  ;  and  not 
on  him  only,  but  on  me  also,  lest  I  should  have  sorrow  upon 
sorrow.  I  sent  him  therefore  the  more  carefully,  that,  when 
ye  see  him  again,  ye  may  rejoice,  and  that  I  may  be  the  less 
sorrowful."  And,  finally,  he  recommends  him  to  them  :  "  Re- 
ceive him  therefore  in  the  Lord  with  all  gladness  ;  and  hold 
such  in  reputation  :  because  for  the  work  of  Christ  he  was  nigh 
unto  death,  not  regarding  his  life,  to  supply  your  lack  of  ser- 
vice towards  me."  This  is  what  Paul  says  of  Epaphroditus. 
To  understand  it  properly,  and  to  draw  from  it  all  the  teaching 
which  is  given  for  our  instruction  and  consolation,  we  will  ex- 
amine these  five  points  in  order,  if  the  Lord  permit  :  the  titles 
of  Epaphroditus  ;  his  sickness  ;  his  cure  ;  his  return  ;  and  his 
recommendation. 

I.  For  the  first,  the  apostle  gives  him  five  considerable  titles. 


262  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVI. 

For,  in  the  first  place,  he  calls  him  his  "  brother  ;"  then,  his 
"  fellow  labourer  ;"  in  the  third  place,  his  "  fellow  soldier  ;"  in 
the  fourth  place,  "  the  apostle  of  the  Philippians  ;"  and  finally, 
"the  minister  of  his  wants  or  necessity."  The  first  of  these 
names  shows  his  religion,  and  the  holy  union  there  was  in  this 
respect,  both  with  the  apostle  and  with  other  believers.  For 
the  christians  in  these  early  ages  called  each  other  brother,  a 
name  full  of  sweetness  and  friendliness,  derived  from  the  cus- 
tom of  the  Jewish  church,  of  which  Christianity  is  the  daughter. 
The  Hebrews,  as  we  learn  from  many  places  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testament,  called  themselves  brethren,  because  they 
were  all  descended  from  the  same  father,  that  is  to  say,  from 
Jacob  and  from  Abraham.  Christians,  after  their  example, 
also  took  that  sacred  name.  And,  indeed,  it  is  not  less  suita- 
ble to  them  according  to  the  Spirit,  than  to  others  according 
to  the  flesh  ;  for  as  the  Jews  were  all  of  one  race  according  to 
the  flesh,  so  christians  also  have  one  Father  according  to  the 
Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  begotten  them  by  the  same 
blood,  and  quickened  them  by  the  same  Spirit,  uniting  them 
in  one  and  the  same  family.  They  are  nourished  by  the  same 
food,  consecrated  by  the  same  sacraments,  brought  up  under 
one  rule,  washed  by  one  baptism,  united  by  one  communion, 
called  to  the  same  inheritance,  and  destined  to  the  same  glory. 
Believers,  remember  this  ;  and  every  time  that  you  see  a  chris- 
tian, whatever  may  be  his  condition,  believe  that  he  is  your 
brother.  Paul  was  a  great  apostle,  elevated  above  all  men  by 
many  advantages  which  God  had  given  him.  And  yet  he  does 
not  here  disdain  to  call  Epaphroditus  his  brother,  and  does  the 
same  honour  elsewhere  to  each  of  the  other  christians,  however 
much  they  might  be  lower  than  he.  May  this  sacred  name 
warm  your  charity  towards  those  who  need  either  your  alms, 
your  assistance,  or  your  consolation.  May  it  appease  your 
feelings  against  those  who  have  offended  you.  Eespect  in  them 
the  blood  and  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  of  which  you  both  participate, 
and  recall  to  yourselves  continually  what  Moses  formerly  said 
to  the  Hebrews,  Ye  are  brethren,  why  do  ye  wrong  one  to 
another  ? 

The  second  title  that  Paul  gives  to  Epaphroditus  is,  his 
"  companion  in  labour,"  which  relates  to  his  office,  viz.  the 
holy  ministry  of  the  gospel,  to  which  he  had  been  consecrated, 
and  in  which  he  had  acquitted  himself  faithfully.  From  which 
it  appears  that  this  excellent  person  had  laboured  in  Eome  it- 
self, in  preaching  and  in  the  edification  of  people,  and  so  much 
the  more  as  the  imprisonment  of  Paul  prevented  his  doing  so 
as  freely  as  he  desired.  Observe,  believers,  I  beseech  you,  how 
excellent  this  office  is  !  It  renders  us  companions  of  Paul,  and 
of  all  the  holy  apostles.  It  gives  us  an  entrance  into  their  sacred 
college,  and  associates  us  with  the  judges  of  the  world.     By  it 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  263 

we  have  the  honour  of  being  brethren  of  Jesus  Christ  the 
Prince  of  bishops,  and  workers  with  God,  which  is  the  highest 
glory  that  man  can  have.  Judge  with  what  desire  we  should 
wish  for  such  an  excellent  office,  and  what  respect  we  ought 
to  yield  to  those  whom  God  has  called  to  it,  and  who  worthily 
exercise  it  in  his  church. 

But  besides  the  holy  ministry,  the  apostle  still  associates 
Epaphroditus  in  his  labours,  naming  him,  in  the  third  place, 
his  "fellow  soldier;"  thus  expressing  the  part  that   he  had 
taken   in  his  battles  against  the  devil,  the  world,  and  false 
brethren,  for  the  glory  of  his  Master,  and  the  salvation  of  his 
flock.     It  is  indeed  true  that  it  may  be  said  of  all  mortal  men 
in  general,  "that  their  life  is  a  warfare  upon  earth,"  as  we 
read  in  Job,  chap.  vii.  1.     And  it  is  still  further  true,  that  it  is 
more  peculiarly  suitable  to  believers  in  Jesus  Christ,  who  are 
all  called  to  suffer  persecution,  and  to  carry  the  cross,  and  who 
wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood  only,  but  also  against  prin- 
cipalities and  powers,  against  the  lords  of  the  world,  the  rulers 
of  the  age,  and  against  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places  ; 
Satan  no  sooner  seeing  man  consecrated  to  God  by  the  sacra- 
ment of  baptism,  than  he  immediately  begins  to  fight,  and  to 
tempt  him,  as  he  acted  formerly  towards  Jesus  Christ  himself, 
the  Prince  of  warriors  ;  and  this  is  the  reason  why  the  apostle 
elsewhere  exhorts  believers  in  general  to  clothe  themselves 
with  the  armour  of  God,  that  they  may  be  able  to  resist  the 
efforts  of  so  potent  an  enemy.     But  as  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel  have  the  honour  to  carry  the  standard  in  this  sacred 
war,  and  to  lead  and  encourage  others  at  every  opportunity,  it 
is  evident  that  no  christians  have  more  to  do  in  it  than  they. 
It  is  to  them  that  the  enemy  particularly  addresses  himself,  it 
is  to  them  that  he  directs  the  most  dangerous  of  his  blows,  and 
against  them  that  he  employs  his  darkest  malice,  and  the  most 
poisonous  of  his  arrows.     He  leaves  none  of  them  at  rest  ;  and 
no  sooner  does  he  see  them  occupied  in  this  divine  ministry, 
than  he  raises  against  them  from  all  quarters   innumerable 
fightings  within  and  without,  filling  their  whole  lives  with 
trouble  and  bitterness.     Christians  !  you  who  by  a  noble  vow 
have  consecrated  yourselves  to  this  heavenly  office,  reckon  that 
you  are  entered  on  a  difficult  and  deadly  warfare.     Do  not 
imagine  that  the  Lord  calls  you  to  a  festival,  or  to  a  soft  and 
voluptuous  life,  in  which  you  have  only  (like  the  greater  part 
of  the  Romish  priests)  to  enjoy  at  your  ease  the  comfortable 
revenues  of  a  living.     What  you  have  undertaken  is  a  painful 
labour  ;  a  bloody  and  obstinate  battle,  in  which  you  will  con- 
tinually have  your  enemy  upon  you.     That  you  may  have  a 
share  in  the  honour  of  Paul,  you  must  also  participate  in  his 
fatigues,  and  you  must  be  his  fellow  soldier  to  partake  his 
triumph.    This  is  what  he  elsewhere  shows  to  his  dear  disciple 


264  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVI. 

Timothy,  and  what  every  faithful  minister  ought  always  to 
have  before  him  :  "  Endure  hardness  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ,"  2  Tim.  ii.  3-5.  Far  from  us  be  idleness  and  pleasure, 
the  encumbrance  of  the  cares  of  the  earth,  and  the  business  of 
the  flesh.  No  one  who  goes  to  war  encumbers  himself  with 
the  affairs  of  this  life,  that  he  may  please  him  who  has  enlisted 
him.  So  also,  if  any  wrestle,  he  is  not  crowned  if  he  have  not 
fairly  fought.  The  laurels  of  Jesus  Christ  are  not  otherwise 
gathered.  But  if  the  labour  of  these  combats  be  great,  the 
consolation  and  glory  is  infinitely  greater;  the  supreme  Pastor 
continually  assisting  his  warriors,  gently  wiping  away  the 
perspiration,  inspiring  them  with  new  strength  and  vigour  ; 
keeping  for  them,  on  the  day  of  his  triumph,  an  incorruptible 
and  glorious  crown  ;  and  giving  them  here,  during  their  life, 
the  approbation  and  praise  of  the  saints.  Thus  he  formerly 
treated  Epaphroditus,  consoling  him  in  his  labours,  by  the  tes- 
timony which  the  apostle  gave  him  ;  placing  on  his  head,  if 
one  may  so  say,  as  a  rich  crown  of  beautiful  and  immortal 
flowers,  those  two  superb  titles  with  which  he  honours  him, 
calling  him  his  companion  in  labour  and  fellow  soldier 

He  still  adds  two  other  titles  which  seem  to  relate  to  the 
employment  which  had  been  given  him  by  the  Philippians. 
The  first  is  that  he  calls  him  their  apostle  (for  this  is  what  the 
original  precisely  means,  and  which  our  Bibles  have  translated 
"your  messenger.")  Some  take  the  word  apostle  here  to  mean 
those  ministers  that  Paul  elsewhere  names  evangelists,  who 
assisted  the  apostles  of  the  Lord,  and  were  as  their  lieutenants. 
For  the  holy  apostles  not  being  able  to  remain  long  in  each 
place,  were  accustomed,  when  they  had  commenced  the  conver- 
sion of  a  country  by  their  preaching,  to  leave  there  some  of 
their  inferiors,  with  authority  to  establish  a  suitable  order,  and 
to  complete  that  which  they  had  begun  ;  as  Paul  says  that  he 
had  left  Titus  in  the  Isle  of  Candia,  that  he  might  continue  the 
arrangement  of  things  in  proper  order,  which  still  remained 
to  be  done,  and  to  ordain  elders  or  priests  in  every  city,  Tit. 
i.  5.  They  imagine,  then,  that  Epaphroditus  was  of  this  class 
of  ministers,  formerly  left  by  Paul  in  the  city  of  Philippi, 
with  the  office  of  establishing  there,  and  in  the  surrounding 
country,  the  order  and  discipline  necessary  for  the  preservation 
of  the  church.  And  it  is  clear  that  the  word  of  the  apostle 
may  indeed  frequently  be  taken  in  this  sense,  as  he  says  "that 
Andronicus  and  Junia  were  of  note  among  the  apostles,"  Eom. 
xvi.  7.  And  it  is  possible  that  Epaphroditus  had  the  honour 
of  being  one  of  this  class  of  ministers.  Others,  considering 
that  it  was  by  the  hands  of  this  person  that  the  Philippians 
sent  to  Paul  the  fruit  of  their  love,  here  take  the  word, 
"  apostle  of  the  Philippians,"  as  meaning  their  ambassador,  him 
that  had  been  sent  by  them.     For  besides  that  this  is  what  the 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  265 

word  signifies  in  its  first  and  original  sense,  apostle,  in  the 
Greek  language,  being  the  same  as  messenger  or  deputy  in 
ours  ;  besides  that,  I  say,  it  appears  also  that  Paul  sometimes 
uses  the  word  apostle,  apostle  of  the  churches,  that  is  to  say, 
their  ambassadors  and  deputies,  for  those  whom  they  had  sent 
to  gather  the  alms  and  contributions  which  Macedonia  and 
Greece  made  for  their  relief.  Our  Bible  has  followed  this 
second  exposition  ;  to  that  sense  the  last  of  the  titles  relates, 
which  the  apostle  here  gives  to  Epaphroditus,  calling  him  the 
minister  of  his  necessities;  that  is  to  say,  him  who  had  furnished 
him  with  the  things  necessary  for  life,  amid  the  discomforts  of 
a  prison  ;  by  which  he  testifies  that  this  holy  man  had  faithfully 
acquitted  himself  of  the  office  which  the  Philippians  had 
given  him,  of  carrying  to  Paul  some  charitable  assistance  in 
his  necessity,  as  he  afterwards  more  clearly  tells  us,  where  he 
praises  them  for  having  taken  care  of  him,  and  for  having 
communicated  to  his  affliction  ;  and  says  that  he  abounds, 
having  received  what  they  had  sent  by  him,  an  odour  of  a 
sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well-pleasing  to  God,  Phil, 
iv.  1<±,  18.  It  is  with  good  reason  that  Paul  mentions  this 
amongst  the  glorious  eulogiums  with  which  he  honours  Epa- 
phroditus. For  if  the  Lord  will  one  day  publish  in  the 
general  assembly  of  men  and  of  angels  the  little  charities  that 
we  have  shown  to  the  least  among  believers,  the  visits  and  the 
assistance  that  we  have  given  them  in  their  necessity,  reward- 
ing them  in  his  infinite  mercy  with  the  heavenly  inheritance, 
and  the  crown  of  a  blessed  immortality  ;  what  a  glory  was  it 
to  Epaphroditus  to  have  served  the  apostle,  the  greatest  of 
God's  servants,  and  to  have  soothed  his  sorrows  on  this  sad 
occasion,  visiting  his  prison,  softening  its  inconveniences,  and 
refreshing  him  by  the  alms  of  an  entire  church  !  Such  are  the 
titles  given  him  by  Paul. 

II.  Let  us  now  consider  the  grievous  sickness  into  which 
this  holy  minister  of  the  Lord  fell,  in  faithfully  acquitting  him- 
self of  his  office,  and  of  which  the  Philippians  themselves  had 
heard  the  sad  and  painful  news  :  "  You  have  heard  that  he  was 
sick  ;  and  indeed  he  was  sick  nigh  unto  death."  If  we  only 
regard  the  natural  constitution  of  the  body,  it  is  composed  of 
so  frail  a  substance,  and  of  so  many  parts  differing  from  one 
another,  and  so  delicate  in  their  complexion,  and  requiring  so 
many  things  for  its  preservation,  and  exposed  by  sin  to  so 
many  injuries  and  blows  from  without,  that  we  have  no  reason 
to  be  astonished  that  Epaphroditus,  after  the  troubles  of  so 
long  a  voyage,  and  the  continual  labour  which  he  had  under- 
gone for  the  service  of  Paul  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  should 
at  last  have  fallen  into  so  serious  a  sickness.  These  are 
accidents  common  to  men,  the  consequence  of  our  infirmity, 
the  fruits  of  our  toil  and  labour,  and  the  forerunners  of  death, 
34 


266  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVI. 

to  which  our  disobedience  has  subjected  us  all.  But  if  we  lift 
our  eyes  higher,  and  consider  on  one  side  the  providence  of 
God,  which  watches  over  his  own  in  a  peculiar  manner,  often 
changing  in  their  favour  the  most  fixed  order  of  nature  ;  and 
on  the  other  the  piety  and  fidelity  of  Epaphroditus  in  his  min- 
istry, and  the  gifts  of  Paul  with  whom  he  then  lived  ;  we  shall 
doubtless  find  it  very  strange  that  the  Lord  should  have  per- 
mitted so  excellent  a  man,  so  usefully  occupied  in  the  affairs 
of  his  house,  to  have  been  afflicted  with  such  an  illness  ;  and 
that  this  great  apostle,  who  cast  out  demons,  who  cured  all 
sorts  of  ills,  who  even  raised  the  dead  by  touching  them  with 
his  hands,  and  by  the  simple  words  of  his  lips,  could  not  keep 
from  such  a  scourge  a  person  who  was  so  dear  to  him,  and  that 
he  should  have  been  without  the  power  to  prevent  the  atten- 
tions and  services  of  his  love  being  interrupted  by  this  sad  ac- 
cident, or  rather  that  they  should  have  produced  so  bad  an 
effect,  there  being  much  probability  that  this  labour  itself  had 
brought  this  indisposition  upon  him.  It  is  a  doubt  which  de- 
serves to  be  cleared  up,  so  much  the  more,  as  it  often  harasses 
the  weak,  and  furnishes  to  men  of  the  world  a  great  matter  for 
their  abuse  of  piety,  when  they  see  the  most  excellent  servants 
of  Jesus  Christ  subject  to  the  common  troubles  of  human 
nature  ;  some  tormented  with  most  acute  diseases,  such  as  the 
stone,  or  the  gout  ;  others  afflicted  with  long  and  wearing  in- 
firmities ;  some  plunged  into  poverty,  others  persecuted  by 
calumny  ;  some  even  troubled  in  their  minds,  or  falling,  not- 
withstanding their  piety  and  innocence,  into  strange  and  ex- 
traordinary disgrace,  or  carried  out  of  this  life  by  some  sad 
and  tragical  accident.  Indeed  those  within  the  church,  after 
the  sufferings  of  Job,  and  the  trials  of  Paul  and  the  other 
apostles,  have  no  longer  any  cause  to  consider  such  accidents 
as  arguments  either  of  the  impiety  of  men,  or  of  the  hatred 
of  God  towards  them. 

But  if  such  strange  events  cannot  but  give  them  pain,  and 
in  spite  of  themselves  occasion  them  heaviness  and  trouble,  to 
console  them  on  the  one  hand,  and  to  repel  on  the  other  the 
blasphemies  of  the  worldly-minded,  we  will  bring  forward  on 
this  subject  some  of  the  reasons  which  lead  Providence  to  per- 
mit such  things.  In  the  first  place,  then,  the  Lord  wishes  that 
his  servants  should  be  subject  to  these  afflictions  and  infirmi- 
ties, lest  the  excellence  of  their  piety,  and  of  the  graces  with 
which  he  has  clothed  them,  should  raise  their  vanity.  This 
exercise  preserves  them  in  a  salutary  modesty,  and  makes  them 
feel  the  weakness,  the  misery,  and  the  nothingness  of  their 
nature,  and  prevents  their  being  elated  with  pride.  Paul 
teaches  us  this  expressly,  when  after  having  related  the  grace 
that  he  had  experienced  of  being  lifted  up  to  heaven,  and  of 
having  there  heard  "  unspeakable  words,"  he  adds,  that,  lest  he 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  267 

should  be  lifted  up  above  measure  on  account  of  the  excel- 
lence of  these  revelations,  there  was  given  him  a  thorn  in  the 
flesh,  a  messenger  of  Satan  to  buffet  him  ;  and  though  he  had 
earnestly  asked  the  Lord  to  be  freed  from  it,  he  had  not  been 
able  to  obtain  deliverance.  Although  it  is  very  difficult  to 
define  what  this  affliction  was  under  which  the  apostle  laboured, 
still  it  sufficiently  appears  that  it  was  very  grievous  and  pain- 
ful, from  his  calling  it  a  thorn,  and  a  pointed  cross  fixed  in 
his  flesh,  and  the  buffetings  of  a  messenger  of  Satan.  It  was 
like  a  cautery,  truly  vexing,  but  useful  and  beneficial,  by  which 
this  holy  man  was  preserved  from  pride.  For  although  this 
apostle  and  his  brethren  were  great  and  admirable  persons, 
they  were,  notwithstanding,  men,  subject  to  our  passions,  and 
capable  of  falling  into  the  vice  common  to  our  nature,  and  to 
feel  vanity  from  their  own  holiness.  It  is  from  this  kind  of 
temptation  Phariseeism  sprang,  the  plague  of  the  old  and  new 
church.  God,  to  secure  his  elect  from  this  misfortune,  visits 
them  with  divers  sorts  of  afflictions  as  a  counterpoise  to  keep 
them  low,  and  to  prevent  their  rising  or  flying  too  high.  He 
does  it  also  to  show  us  that  they  are  men,  lest  seeing  them  in 
such  full  and  entire  happiness,  we  should  make  idols  of  them, 
and  imagine  them  to  have  a  nature  different  from  that  of  others. 
For  it  is  from  hence  that  idolatry  has  entered  into  the  world. 
As  soon  as  we  see  any  thing  great  or  extraordinary  in  any  one, 
immediately  we  deify  him,  and  we  willingly  cry,  like  the  audi- 
tors of  Herod,  "  It  is  the  voice,"  or  work,  "  of  a  god,  and  not 
of  a  man."  Thus  the  first  idolaters  changed  those  of  their 
princes  into  gods,  in  whom  there  shone  any  valour,  or  good- 
ness, or  uncommon  power.  And  we  read  in  Acts  xiv.  13,  that 
the  Lycaonians,  astonished  at  having  seen  a  lame  man  cured  by 
Paul  and  Barnabas,  wished  to  offer  sacrifices  to  them  ;  and  that 
the  barbarians  of  Malta,  having  seen  the  former  shake  off  a  viper, 
hanging  from  his  finger,  without  being  injured,  said  among 
themselves  that  he  was  a  god,  Acts  xxviii.  6.  This  is  the  reason 
why  these  holy  men  themselves  so  eagerly  repulsed  these  false 
imaginations,  so  extremely  insulting  to  the  divinity:  "Why 
are  your  eyes  fixed  upon  us,  (said  they,)  as  if  by  our  own  power 
or  holiness  we  had  done  these  things  ?"  Acts  iii.  12.  "  Stand 
up,  for  we  also  are  men,"  Acts  x.  26.  "  Why  do  ye  these 
things  ?  for  we  are  men,  subject  to  like  passions  with  you," 
Acts  xiv.  15.  And  Paul,  not  wishing  to  display  all  the  won- 
ders with  which  God  had  gratified  him,  restrains  himself,  say- 
ing, "  Lest  any  man  should  think  of  me  above  that  which  he 
seeth  me  to  be,  or  that  he  heareth  of  me,"  2  Cor.  xii.  6.  To 
deliver  us  from  so  dangerous  an  error,  the  Lord  condescended 
to  be  afflicted  in  every  way,  and  to  pass  through  our  greatest 
infirmities  having  placed  purposely  in  our  sight  these  true  and 
indubitable  marks  of  his  humanity  that  we  might  be  assured 


268  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVI. 

of  it  ;  and  it  is  for  the  same  reason  that  the  holy  scripture 
has  so  carefully  set  forth  the  faults  of  the  greatest  servants  of 
God,  without  hiding  any  of  them  from  us.  Still  you  see  that, 
notwithstanding  these  warnings  which  the  Lord  has  shown 
us,  and  the  proofs  of  their  weakness,  there  are  people  to  be 
found  among  christians  who  yield  them  a  religious  worship, 
and  fix  their  devotion  even  on  the  ashes  and  the  relics  of  their 
bodies  and  of  their  clothes  ;  who  pray  to  them,  and  invoke 
them,  although  dead  and  absent,  presuming  on  a  quality,  which 
belongs  to  God  alone,  that  they  know  all  the  secrets  of  their 
hearts  ;  and,  not  satisfied  with  the  saints  of  antiquity,  make 
new  ones  daily  of  those  after  their  death,  whom  they  formerly 
saw  living  in  all  the  infirmities  of  this  poor  nature,  even  to 
the  basest  and  most  shameful  ;  and,  that  they  may  not  appear 
to  do  so  without  some  colour,  forge  miracles,  the  credit  of 
which  they  impute  to  them  ;  so  strong  in  the  minds  of  men 
is  that  empty  desire  to  deify  all  that  appears  to  them  to  sur- 
pass their  own  common  standard.  God  then  was  graciously 
pleased  to  root  out  this  crying  evil  by  the  afflictions  and  ca- 
lamities with  which  he  visited  his  servants. 

But  he  also  acts  thus  for  another  reason,  that  the  wonders 
of  his  power  may  shine  gloriously,  when  with  such  weak  in- 
struments, and  which  are  not  exempt  from  any  of  our  miser- 
ies, he  still  does  not  fail  to  perform  his  work.  And  this  is 
what  the  apostle  means,  when  he  tells  us  that  he  and  his  com- 
panions had  the  treasure  of  the  gospel  "in  earthen  vessels, 
that  the  excellence  of  the  power  may  be  of  God,  and  not  of 
us"  2  Cor.  iv.  7.  And  elsewhere,  when  he  asked  to  be  deliv- 
ered from  the  messenger  of  Satan,  which  buffeted  him,  he  was 
answered,  "  My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee  ;  for  my  strength  is 
made  perfect  in  weakness,"  2  Cor.  xii.  9.  It  shines  in  your 
weakness.  The  shadows  of  your  afflictions  and  sufferings 
give  a  brilliancy  to  my  power,  which  appears  so  much  the 
brighter,  the  more  weak  and  frail  the  instruments  which  it 
uses.  For  as  the  skill  of  a  pilot  is  more  clearly  seen  in  the 
guidance  of  a  bad  vessel  among  banks  and  breakers,  than  if 
he  piloted  some  good  ship,  well  equipped,  in  a  safe  sea  without 
danger  ;  so  is  it  evident  that  the  power  and  wisdom  of  God 
are  more  clearly  and  wonderfully  shown,  when  he  preserves 
and  guides  to  the  completion  of  his  plans  his  poor  believers, 
weak  and  subject  as  they  are  to  the  sufferings  and  miseries  of 
other  men,  than  if,  stripping  them  of  their  vileness,  and  cloth- 
ing them  from  thence  with  an  immortal  nature,  incapable  of 
suffering,  he  employed  them  thus  fitted  in  his  work.  Besides, 
he  acts  thus  for  the  praise  of  believers  themselves,  afflictions 
justifying  their  piety,  and  making  its  lustre  appear  as  well  as 
its  firmness  in  the  eyes  of  men  and  angels.  It  remains  sub- 
ject to  calumny  whilst  in  prosperity.     Satan  desires  to  make 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  269 

it  pass  for  hypocrisy,  and  for  a  mercenary  service,  as  if  they 
only  loved  God  because  he  spared  them.  It  is  what  he  for- 
merly said  of  Job,  that  he  only  feared  the  Lord  because  he  had 
everywhere  encompassed  him  with  a  hedge  of  providence  and 
blessing,  and  that  he  would  doubtless  change  his  piety  into 
blasphemy  if  God  were  to  strike  him.  To  confound  this  ma- 
lice, the  Lord  gave  up  to  him  the  property  and  health  of  his 
servant,  and  caused  his  faith  and  his  love  to  be  seen  by  his 
constancy  in  the  midst  of  these  severe  trials.  Sickness,  pov- 
erty, persecution,  and  other  sufferings,  are  as  it  were  the  cru- 
cible of  God.  He  makes  believers  pass  through  this  fire,  that 
their  piet}'  being  preserved,  and  that  coming  out  of  it  more 
pure  and  brilliant,  every  one  may  be  forced  to  acknowledge 
their  value;  and  this  is  what  we  are  taught  by  the  apostle 
Peter,  saying  that  the  trial  of  our  faith  in  the  midst  of  temp- 
tations is  much  more  precious  than  gold  which  perishes,  and 
though  it  be  tried  with  fire  shall  turn  "  to  praise,  and  honour, 
and  glory,  at  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ,"  1  Pet.  i.  7.  For  be- 
sides that  this  manifestation  is  very  honourable  to  us,  and  very 
useful  to  our  neighbours  in  this  world,  it  is  necessary  to  jus- 
tify in  the  last  day  the  equity  and  righteousness  of  the  judg- 
ment of  God,  making  it  clearly  seen  that  those  to  whom  he 
will  give  heaven  and  immortality  are  truly  believers.  Paul 
teaches  it  to  us,  when  he  says  that  their  patience  and  faith  in 
afflictions  is  a  manifest  demonstration  of  the  righteous  judg- 
ment of  God,  that  they  may  be  counted  worthy  of  the  king- 
dom of  God,  as  also  that  it  is  a  righteous  thing  in  God  to 
render  affliction  to  those  who  trouble  them,  and  rest  to  those 
who  are  troubled,  2  Thess.  v.  6,  7.  For  besides  these  trials 
tending  to  the  praise  of  believers,  they  are  also  useful  for  their 
sanctification.  They  detach  their  hearts  from  earth,  and  make 
them  feel  the  vanity  and  misery  of  this  world.  They  warn 
them  of  the  weakness  and  mortality  of  their  nature,  and  by 
these  holy  thoughts  mortify  any  desires  they  might  have  for 
the  lusts  of  the  world,  and  oblige  them,  after  having  renounced 
them,  to  take  their  flight  towards  heaven,  there  to  embrace  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  seek  in  him  alone  all  their  happiness,  with 
more  ardour  and  zeal  than  ever.  Seeing  and  feeling  the  no- 
thingness of  this  life,  which  is  but  a  vain  shadow,  they  think 
of  another,  which  is  spiritual  and  immortal,  and  of  the  resur- 
rection, which  is  the  door  of  it,  and  of  heaven,  which  is  its 
home,  to  die  henceforth  to  the  world,  and  to  live  to  Jesus  only. 
This  is  what  David  acknowledges,  when  he  sings,  that  it  is 
good  for  him  to  have  been  afflicted,  that  before  he  was  afflicted 
he  went  astray,  "but  now  (says  he  to  the  Lord)  have  I  kept 
thy  word,"  Psal.  cxix.  67.  For  these  and  similar  reasons  God 
permits  believers  sometimes  to  fall  into  great  disgrace  accord- 
ing to  the  flesh,  and  to  them  must  be  referred  the  painful  and 


270  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVI. 

dangerous  sickness  with  which  he  visited  Epaphroditus,  not- 
withstanding his  zeal  and  fidelity  in  the  execution  of  his  office. 
Hence  it  also  appears  why  the  apostle  did  not  preserve  him 
from  it.  For  since  it  was  not  the  wish  and  particular  desire 
of  Paul,  but  the  will  of  the  Lord,  which  ruled  and  rendered 
efficacious  the  virtue  of  the  cures  and  miracles  with  which  he 
had  favoured  him,  dispensing  them  or  not,  according  as  it  was 
suitable  for  the  interests  of  his  glory,  we  must  not  be  aston- 
ished that  he  should  not  have  displayed  it  on  a  man  whom 
God  pleased  to  visit  with  sickness.  For  the  same  reason,  this 
grace  of  the  apostle  had  no  power,  either  to  deliver  himself 
from  the  pricking  thorn  which  was  fixed  in  his  flesh,  nor  to 
cure  Timothy  of  his  stomach  complaints  and  other  infirmities, 
under  which  he  continually  suffered,  1  Tim.  v.  23.  For  the 
power  of  miracles  was  given  at  the  beginning,  not  to  oppose 
the  institutions  of  God,  or  to  trouble  the  order  of  his  regula- 
tions, but  to  confound  ungodliness,  to  conquer  incredulity,  and 
to  plant  and  establish  the  faith  of  the  gospel  in  the  world. 

III.  I  come  now  to  the  cure  of  Epaphroditus.  His  illness 
had  been  extreme,  as  Paul  shows  in  saying  that  he  had  been 
near  unto  death  :  "But  God  (adds  he)  had  pity  on  him  ;  and 
not  on  him  only,  but  also  on  me,  that  I  should  not  have  sor- 
row upon  sorrow."  It  is  thus  that  the  Lord  often  acts  towards 
his  own,  allowing  them  to  descend  to  the  last  degree  of  sorrow, 
to  relieve  them  afterwards  from  it  with  greater  eclat  and  glory. 
Hezekiah  was  brought  to  the  gates  of  the  grave,  as  he  says, 
and  considered  his  life  cut  off,  when.  God  set  him  again  on  foot, 
and  added  to  his  life  fifteen  years.  How  often  did  he  permit 
David  to  fall  into  the  extremity  of  anguish  !  This  proceeding 
is  very  suitable  both  for  us  and  for  him.  For  us,  that  our 
faith  may  be  so  much  the  better  exercised,  the  extremity  of  the 
danger  firing  our  zeal,  and  warming  our  desires  in  our  vows 
and  prayers.  For  him  also.  The  greater  is  our  danger,  and 
to  all  appearance  without  resource,  the  more  glorious  is  the 
power  which  he  displays  in  delivering  us  from  it.  Paul  here 
entirely  attributes  to  him  the  cure  of  Epaphroditus,  whether 
he  had  sent  it  immediately  from  heaven,  or,  to  procure  it,  had 
blessed  the  remedies  or  the  medicine,  or  the  hands  of  Paul,  as 
some  imagine.  For  in  whatever  way  health  may  be  restored 
to  us,  either  by  the  use  of  means  or  without  them,  it  is  always 
the  work  of  God,  and  second  causes  never  ought  to  obscure  his 
glory,  since  we  know  that  it  is  he  who  gives  them,  by  the  se- 
cret power  of  his  blessing,  whatever  efficacy  they  have.  But 
the  apostle  does  not  simply  say  that  the  cure  of  Epaphroditus 
was  the  effect  of  the  power  of  God.  He  says  that  it  was  a  gift 
of  his  mercy,  "  God  had  pity  on  him."  How  could  that  be, 
seeing  it  would  only  prolong  his  sufferings,  and  the  time  of  his 
misery;   and  that,  on  the  contrary,  to  separate  him  from  this 


CHAP.  II.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIAN3.  271 

body,  was  to  draw  him  out  of  prison,  and  from  a  sad  and  dan- 
gerous combat,  to  place  him  in  the  enjoyment  of  celestial  light? 
I  acknowledge  that  our  sojourn  on  earth  is  accompanied  with 
many  infirmities  and  evils,  and  that,  taking  it  altogether,  it  is 
infinitely  better  for  us  to  be  with  Christ,  as  the  apostle  tells  us, 
than  to  languish  here  out  of  his  sanctuary.  But  all  this  does 
not  oppose  the  idea,  that  this  life,  considered  in  itself,  away 
from  this  comparison,  is  an  excellent  gift  of  God,  and  a  present 
of  his  mercy,  particularly  to  those  who  (like  Epaphroditus) 
possess  it  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  to  whom  it  is  gain  to  live,  no 
less  than  to  die.  Added  to  which,  the  true  believer,  such  as  he 
was,  has  more  regard  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  the 
church,  than  to  his  own  satisfaction  ;  and  considering  life  in 
this  sense,  that  it  is  useful  to  one  or  both  of  these  objects,  he 
may  desire  it,  to  have  the  means  of  finishing  his  course,  and 
the  work  committed  to  him.  If  such  were  the  desire  of  Epa- 
phroditus, (as  it  might  lawfully  have  been,)  who  cannot  see  that 
his  cure  was  an  effect  of  divine  mercy,  whose  property  is  to 
hear  our  prayers,  and  to  grant  us  what  we  ask  ? 

But  besides,  Paul  here  recognizes  the  goodness  of  God  to- 
wards himself:  "He  had  also  pity  on  me,  (says  he,)  that  I 
might  not  have  sorrow  upon  sorrow."  He  does  not  conceal 
the  fact,  that  the  death  of  his  dear  fellow  labourer  would  have 
been  very  bitter,  and  would  have  overwhelmed  him  with  a 
new  trouble  ;  by  which  he  again  acknowledges  that  his  present 
situation  in  the  bonds  of  Nero  was  a  cause  of  sadness.  For 
the  patience  and  courage  of  the  saints  in  afflictions,  is  not  a 
proud  insensibility,  such  as  some  of  the  pagan  philosophers 
demanded  in  their  wise  men,  desiring  that  they  should  feel  no 
sentiment  of  grief  or  sorrow.  This  is  to  despoil  man  of  his 
nature,  and  to  turn  him  into  stone  or  brass.  Christian  piety 
tempers  the  passions,  but  it  does  not  eradicate  them.  It  softens 
and  tranquillizes,  but  it  does  not  extinguish  them.  To  render 
man  courageous  it  does  not  make  him  insensible.  It  leaves 
him  the  innocent  and  necessary  feelings  of  nature.  Paul  felt 
the  inconveniences  of  his  prison,  the  loss  of  his  liberty,  and 
that  it  took  from  him  the  means  of  going  hither  and  thither  to 
sow  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  But  however  grievous 
these  things  were  to  him,  he  supported  them,  nevertheless, 
courageously  ;  the  will  of  God,  and  other  considerations  of  re- 
ligion, softening  the  feeling,  and  leading  all  the  desires  of  his 
nature  captive  under  the  yoke  of  the  Lord.  It  is  properly  in 
this  that  the  sacrifice  of  our  obedience  consists,  when  we  pre- 
sent to  God  a  heart  not  insensible  to  his  chastisements,  but 
tamed  and  subdued  to  suffer  them  with  patience  and  resigna- 
tion, and  to  submit  to  his  will  both  our  tears  and  sorrows. 
Paul  was  touched  in  the  same  way  with  the  sickness  of  his 
friend,  and  would  have  been  still  more  so  by  his  death  ;  buft 


272  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.   XVI. 

without  murmuring  or  resistance,  ruling  his  sorrows  and  his 
feelings  in  such  a  way  that  he  had  finally  settled  and  subdued 
them  to  the  orders  of  his  Master.  Thus,  elsewhere,  he  does 
not  positively  forbid  believers  to  weep  for  the  death  of  friends 
in  Christ,  but  not  to  weep  excessively,  or  to  suffer  in  the  man- 
ner of  those  who  had  no  hope,  1  Thess.  iv.  13.  In  the  first 
place,  the  death  of  every  man,  whoever  he  may  be,  is  a  sad 
thing,  and  frightful  in  itself;  an  effect  of  sin,  and  of  the  wrath 
of  God  against  human  nature  ;  hence  the  grave  of  Lazarus  drew 
tears  even  from  the  eyes  of  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  The 
death  of  a  dear  friend,  such  as  Bpaphroditus  was  to  Paul,  is 
still  more  sad;  for  besides  the  general  horror  that  it  occasions, 
it  deprives  us  of  the  pleasure  of  his  conversation  and  of  his 
good  services.  But  we  cannot  doubt  that  the  apostle  looked 
more  to  the  interests  of  the  church  than  to  his  own,  in  the 
death  of  Bpaphroditus,  which  would  have  taken  from  the  Phi- 
lippians  an  excellent  pastor,  whom  it  would  have  been  difficult, 
or  perhaps  even  impossible,  worthily  to  replace,  the  number 
of  similar  labourers  always  being  very  small.  It  is  this  con- 
sideration, more  than  any  other,  which  would  have  caused  the 
sadness  which  the  apostle  confesses  he  should  have  felt  at  this 
loss. 

IV.  This  reason  led  him  to  send  him  back  to  them  quickly 
as  soon  as  he  was  well  ;  in  which  the  feelings  of  Epaphroditus 
were  conformed  to  his  own.  For  this  good  servant  of  God, 
knowing  that  the  news  of  his  malady  had  much  grieved  the 
church  of  the  Philippians,  and  touched  with  reciprocal  love, 
desired,  as  soon  as  he  was  in  health,  to  see  them  again,  that  he 
might  change  their  sorrow  into  joy  :  "  For  (says  the  apostle) 
he  longed  after  you  all,  and  was  full  of  heaviness,  because  you 
had  heard  that  he  had  been  ill."  Which  shall  we  most  admire, 
the  affection  of  the  flock  towards  their  shepherd,  or  the  love 
of  the  shepherd  towards  his  flock?  Although  distant  and  far 
separated,  they  have  the  same  mind,  the  same  desires,  the  same 
feelings.  It  is  one  of  the  miracles  of  love  which  unites  and 
blends  thus  what  distance  of  place  in  vain  separates.  The 
Philippians  love  and  so  tenderly  honour  Epaphroditus,  that 
they  feel  his  illness  as  much  as  he  did  himself  as  soon  as  they 
heard  of  it.  Epaphroditus  so  cordially  loves  the  Philippians, 
that  the  sorrow  which  his  illness  had  occasioned  them  causes 
him  more  anguish  than  he  felt  from  his  own  malady.  He 
longs  for  them  all,  with  a  very  remarkable  affection,  and  can 
have  no  rest  until  his  presence  shall  have  dried  up  their  tears, 
and  drawn  their  minds  from  the  pain  they  had  felt.  0  happy 
churches  which  have  such  pastors  !  0  happy  pastors  who  have 
such  churches  !  What  in  the  world  is  sweeter,  more  beautiful, 
more  pleasing  to  God,  or  more  beneficial  to  men,  than  this 
holy  union  and  sympathy  of  the  affections  ?     What  is  the  sor- 


CHAP.  II.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  273 

row  that  it  cannot  soften  ?  or  the  pain  that  it  cannot  soothe? 
or  the  anxiety  that  it  cannot  console  ?  The  apostle,  that  he 
might  not  injure  it,  nor  deprive  either  of  their  full  satisfaction, 
consents  to  the  departure  of  Bpaphroditus,  and  obliged  by  these 
necessary  reasons,  sends  their  dear  pastor  back  to  the  Philip- 
pians,  rather  preferring  to  deprive  himself  of  the  good  ser- 
vices which  he  rendered  to  him  at  this  difficult  period,  than  to 
see  him  languish  in  that  secret  anxiety  which  the  absence 
from  his  beloved  flock  occasioned  him.  "  I  sent  him  therefore 
(says  the  apostle)  the  more  carefully,  that,  when  ye  see  him 
again,  ye  may  rejoice,  and  that  I  may  be  the  less  sorrowful." 
He  himself  also  enters  into  the  fellowship  of  their  joy  :  he 
takes  so  lively  a  share  in  it  that  he  forgets  his  own  interests. 
See,  I  pray  you,  my  brethren,  in  this  example,  the  power  of 
love,  and  how  absolute  the  empire  which  it  exercises  in  the 
minds  of  believers.  When  Epaphroditus  shall  be  gone,  says  he, 
"I  shall  be  less  sorrowful."  What  then,  O  holy  apostle? 
Does  the  presence  of  such  an  excellent  man  whom  you  esteem 
and  love  so  much  give  you  sorrow  ?  Is  his  society  wearisome  ? 
Are  those  offices  and  duties  which  he  has  performed  towards  you 
with  such  kindness  and  attention  become  painful  to  you?  Yes, 
he  replies,  and  his  absence  (who  would  think  it?)  will  bring  me 
comfort;  and,  what  is  still  stranger,  it  is  in  part  the  love  itself 
that  I  bear  him  which  makes  me  wish  for  his  departure  ;  for, 
whilst  with  me,  he  cannot  be  with  that  beloved  flock,  by  which 
he  is  so  ardently  desired,  and  which  he  himself  longs  for,  and 
where  his  presence  is  no  less  necessary  than  it  is  wished.  I 
am  sorry  that  consideration  for  me  takes  him  from  them,  and 
that  the  offices  which  he  renders  me  should  prevent  his  acquit- 
ting himself  of  those  which  he  owes  to  his  Philippians.  A  con- 
sideration which  costs  so  much  is  painful  to  me  ;  I  cannot  en- 
joy it  without  grief,  and  it  is  to  comfort  myself  that  I  send 
him  back.  It  is  not  simply  for  the  satisfaction  of  the  Philip- 
pians, it  is  also  for  my  own.  This  is,  dear  brethren,  the  true 
meaning  of  these  words  of  the  apostle. 

V.  After  having  thus  explained  the  reason  of  his  sending 
Epaphroditus  back,  he  finally  recommends  him  to  his  flock: 
"  Receive  him  therefore  in  the  Lord  with  all  gladness."  "  In 
the  Lord  ;"  that  is  to  say,  for  the  love  of  the  Lord,  as  his  faith- 
ful servant,  whom  he  has  given  you,  whose  life  he  has  pre- 
served, and  whom  he  restores  to  you  safe  and  sound  for  your 
preservation  and  edification.  This  is  what  Jesus  Christ  calls 
receiving  someone  in  his  name:  "Whosoever  receiveth  one 
of  these  little  ones  in  my  name  receiveth  me,"  Mark  ix.  37. 
Here  he  regulates  the  manner  in  which  they  ought  to  welcome 
their  pastor,  not  according  to  the  fashion  of  the  men  of  the 
world,  with  festivals  and  carnal  rejoicings,  but  as  becometh 
saints,  with  reverence  and  spiritual  love,  cherishing  him,  and 
35 


274  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVI. 

respecting  in  his  person  the  Lord,  of  whom  he  is  the  servant. 
"  With  all  joy  ;"  that  is  to  say,  with  full  and  perfect  content, 
with  a  pure  and  sincere  joy,  which  fills  the  whole  heart,  so  to 
speak,  as  he  elsewhere  does,  where  he  says,  "Though  I  may 
have  all  faith,"  that  is  to  say,  a  very  complete  faith,  even  to 
"  remove  mountains,  and  have  not  charity,  I  am  nothing,"  1 
Cor.  xiii.  2.  But  from  Epaphroditus  individually  the  apostle 
extends  his  order  to  all  good  and  faithful  pastors  in  general  : 
"  Hold  such  in  reputation."  Look  upon  them  and  cherish 
them  as  pearls  and  precious  jewels,  drawn  from  the  treasures 
of  God  for  the  consolation  and  salvation  of  your  souls.  The 
more  scarce  they  are,  the  more  ought  they  to  be  esteemed.  It 
is  the  will  of  God  who  gives  them  to  us,  and  who  often  very 
severely  punishes  those  who  despise  them,  sending  them  bad 
and  faithless  ones,  such  as  deserve  their  contempt.  But  the 
common  edification  of  the  church  compels  us  also  to  the  same 
duty,  there  being  nothing  which  more  conduces  to  it  than  the 
lawful  authority  of  good  pastors,  or  which  does  more  harm 
than  bad  ones.  And  although  the  Philippians  had  sufficiently 
known  the  value  of  Epaphroditus  by  their  own  experience, 
and  also  what  the  apostle  had  just  said  sufficiently  testified  it, 
still,  not  being  able  to  satisfy  himself  in  the  praise  of  this 
good  man,  and  still  more  to  draw  upon  him  the  hearts  and  af- 
fections of  his  flock,  he  further  dilates  on  his  zeal  and  fidelity, 
adding,  in  the  last  verse  of  this  chapter,  "  that  for  the  work  of 
Christ  he  had  been  nigh  unto  death,  not  regarding  his  life  to 
supply  the  Philippians'  lack  of  service  to  him."  He  does  not 
mean  that  the  Philippians  had  failed  in  affection  towards  him. 
On  the  contrary,  he  praises  them  for  their  love  in  many 
places  of  this  Epistle.  But  their  absence  prevented  their  ren- 
dering him  in  his  bonds  the  services  which  they  owed  him 
and  which  they  would  willingly  have  yielded  if  they  had  been 
present  ;  it  neither  being  possible  nor  convenient  that  a  whole 
church  should  transport  itself  to  Eome  for  this  purpose.  It  is, 
then,  of  this  want  that  he  speaks,  and  which  Epaphroditus  had 
endeavoured  to  supply  ;  exerting  all  his  strength  in  the  service 
of  the  apostle,  that  he  himself  might,  in  some  measure,  supply 
whatever  consolation  the  whole  church  would  have  given  him 
had  it  been  on  the  spot.  This  is  what  he  also  calls  "  the  work 
of  the  Lord,"  for  two  reasons  :  First,  Because  to  serve  his  mi- 
nisters is  to  serve  Jesus  Christ,  as  he  declares  in  many  places  : 
"He  who  receiveth  you  receiveth  me,  and  whatsoever  you 
have  done  to  one  of  these  little  ones  you  have  done  to  me 
also."  Secondly,  Because  it  is  a  work  that  the  Lord  has  com- 
manded us,  wishing  that  we  should  honour  and  succour  in  a 
peculiar  manner  those  who  suffer  for  his  name,  and  especially 
the  ministers  of  his  word.  He  says,  then,  that  Epaphroditus, 
to  acquit  himself  worthily  of  this  duty,  had  not  had  any  re- 


CHAP.  II.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  275 

gard  to  his  own  life,  and  had  been  nigh  unto  death.  Some 
understand  by  this  the  danger  in  which  he  had  been  by  visit- 
ing tbe  apostle,  drawing  upon  himself  thereby  the  hatred  and 
cruelty  of  the  ministers  of  Nero,  who  retained  him  in  prison  ; 
as  we  know  that  tyrants  often  seize  and  condemn  to  death 
those  who  wish  to  favour  or  comfort  believers,  whom  they  per- 
secute for  the  gospel's  sake.  But  it  appears  from  the  last 
chapter  of  the  Acts,  and  from  this  Epistle  itself,  that  Rome 
did  not  then  exei'cise  towards  Paul  that  inhumanity  which  she 
has  since  used,  and  still  uses  at  this  time,  towards  the  faithful 
servants  of  God  ;  and  the  end  of  this  text  clearly  shows  that 
it  must  relate  here  to  the  illness  of  Epaphroditus,  which  he 
had  drawn  upon  himself  by  too  much  labour,  preferring  rather 
to  fail  in  the  attention  which  he  owed  to  his  own  health  than 
in  the  services  which  he  was  obliged  to  yield  to  Paul;  so  that 
his  illness  itself  was  both  the  effect  and  sign  of  his  piety.  For 
though  there  is  no  merit  in  being  ill,  there  is  much  in  not 
sparing  oneself  for  the  service  of  Christ. 

Such,  dear  brethren,  is  our  exposition  of  this  text.  It  re- 
mains to  apply  it  to  our  own  profit  ;  and  that  so  holy  and 
salutary  a  doctrine  should  not  uselessly  reach  our  ears,  let  us 
imprint  upon  our  hearts  the  images  of  the  three  examples 
which  are  set  before  us,  in  Epaphroditus,  the  Philippians,  and 
Paul.  Let  us  contemplate  and  imitate  them,  let  us  form  the 
affections  of  our  minds,  and  the  actions  of  our  life,  after  these 
excellent  models. 

The  illness  of  Epaphroditus  teaches  us,  in  the  first  place, 
not  to  judge  of  men  by  the  accidents  which  befall  them  ;  as  if 
affliction  and  disgrace  were  the  necessary  marks  of  a  bad  cause. 
Let  us  remember  the  warning  of  the  prophet,  "Blessed  is  he 
that  considereth  the  poor,"  Psal.  xli.  1.  Innocence  is  not  al- 
ways in  prosperity,  and  piety  often  falls  into  great  calamities  ; 
God  permitting  it  to  be  so  for  the  reasons  explained  above. 
And  as  we  should  act  with  this  equity  to  others,  we  ought  also 
to  have  it  towards  ourselves.  Never  let  the  illnesses  with 
which  God  visits  us  either  make  us  doubt  his  love  or  our  elec- 
tion. He  has  truly  promised  us  in  this  world  his  friendship, 
his  peace,  the  joy  of  his  Spirit,  and  the  assistance  of  his  Christ, 
and  in  another,  immortality.  But  he  nowhere  promises  that 
we  shall  be  exempted  from  the  evils  and  miseries  of  the  pre- 
sent life.  He  declares  to  us,  on  the  contrary,  that  we  shall  be 
more  subject  to  them  than  others.  Let  us  then  receive  these 
strokes  from  his  hand  with  patience  and  gentleness  of  mind, 
and  instead  of  murmuring  or  hardening  ourselves  under  the 
rod,  let  us  profit  by  it,  as  a  salutary  correction  and  an  honour- 
able trial  ;  learning  from  it  the  vanity  of  this  life,  and  of  all  the 
good  that  it  possesses,  thinking  rightly  of  the  infirmity  of  our 
nature,  and  of  death,  which  will  assuredly  destroy  it,  to  with- 


276  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVI. 

draw  our  affections  from  earth,  to  renounce  vice  and  its  lusts, 
and  to  aspire  only  after  a  blessed  immortality,  the  end  and 
prize  of  our  holy  calling.  And  as  to  your  life,  if  it  is  useful, 
either  to  the  church  or  to  your  families,  I  do  not  forbid  you  to 
desire  it;  I  simply  wish  that  you  would  ask  it  from  God,  and 
expect  it  from  his  mercy  alone,  who  brings  to  the  tomb,  and 
lifts  you  from  it,  when  he  will  ;  and  that,  when  you  have  re- 
covered your  health,  you- would  ascribe  to  his  goodness  all  the 
glory  of  your  cure,  devoutly  consecrating  to  his  service  all 
the  fruits  of  a  life  which  you  hold  only  from  his  grace. 

But  while  the  illness  of  Epaphroditus  gives  us  this  lesson, 
the  cause  whence  it  arose  teaches  us  another,  not  less  neces- 
sary. For  he  had  gained  it  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.  0  hap- 
py sickness,  which  carries  its  consolation  with  it  !  for  it  is  not 
possible  that  so  good  and  so  holy  a  cause  should  produce  a 
bad  effect.  How  different  from  this  are  our  diseases,  which 
are  mostly  the  consequences  of  our  vices,  the  effects  of  our 
intemperance,  our  vanity,  or  our  avarice  !  as  those  of  whom 
Job  said,  "  whose  bones  are  full  of  the  sins  of  their  youth," 
Job  xx.  11  ;  bad  fruits  of  a  bad  tree;  shameful  effects  of  an 
evil  cause.  Believers,  if  it  is  not  possible  that  you  should  be 
exempt  from  infirmities  and  indispositions,  order  your  life  in 
such  a  manner  that,  while  suffering  them,  you  may  have  the 
consolation  of  knowing  that  it  is  in  the  service  of  God,  and 
not  in  that  of  the  world  ;  that  it  is  the  work  of  Christ,  and 
not  that  of  Satan,  or  of  vice,  which  has  drawn  them  upon  you. 
It  is  true  that,  strictly  speaking,  we  can  and  ought  to  take 
care  of  our  life,  so  moderating  the  lawful  labours  of  our  call- 
ing that  they  should  not  injure  our  health.  But  where  the 
service  of  God  calls  us,  we  must  put  everything  under  our 
feet,  and  like  the  blessed  Epaphroditus,  courageously  hazard 
health  and  life,  and  have  no  regard  to  either,  rather  than  fail 
in  the  work  of  our  Master.  The  illnesses  caught,  the  deaths  en- 
dured, with  such  a  good  design  and  for  so  holy  a  cause,  are 
martyrdoms  before  God,  which  he  will  assuredly  crown  with 
abundant  consolation  and  immortal  glory! 

But  besides  these  general  lessons,  Epaphroditus  especially 
warns  pastors  to  cherish  a  warm  affection  for  their  flocks,  sen- 
sibly to  feel  their  sorrows,  and  to  hold  nothing  so  dear  as  their 
consolation.  It  was,  doubtless,  a  very  great  and  pleasing  sat- 
isfaction to  Epaphroditus  to  be  with  Paul,  to  listen  to  his  hea- 
venly words,  and  to  see  his  noble  bonds.  But  as  soon  as  he 
knew  that  the  report  of  his  sickness  had  put  his  church  in 
pain,  he  was  willing  to  leave  all  to  restore  it  to  joy.  How 
also,  believers,  does  both  the  example  of  the  Philippians,  and 
the  command  of  the  apostle  to  them  to  receive  Epaphroditus 
with  joy  in  the  Lord,  oblige  you  to  share  the  good  and  bad 
fortune  of  your  pastors,  to  compassionate  their  sorrows,  to  re- 


CHAP.   II.]  THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHÏLIPPIANS.  277 

joice  in  their  happiness,  and  by  love  and  cordial  reverence  to 
soften  all  the  bitterness  of  so  laborious  an  office  ! 

Finally,  The  example  of  Paul,  who  cheerfully  yielded  to 
the  edification  of  the  Philippians  every  advantage  and  pleasure 
which  he  received  from  the  presence  of  Epaphroditus,  shows 
to  both  mutually,  that  there  is  nothing  so  dear  to  us  that  we 
should  not  willingly  give  up  to  the  interests  of  the  church, 
reckoning  our  losses  gain,  when  they  are  needful  for  the  con- 
solation of  our  brethren;  remembering  the  love  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  who,  being  rich,  became  poor,  and,  being  the  King  of 
glory,  submitted  to  the  greatest  shame,  that  he  might  enrich 
and  glorify  us.  To  him,  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit, 
one  God,  blessed  for  ever,  be  honour  and  glory,  for  ever  and 
ever.     Amen. 

Preached  at  Charenton,  Sunday,  4th  August,  16-il. 


278  AN   EXPOSITION   OF 


DEDICATION. 


TO  MADAME  DE  DANGEAU. 

Madame: — These  sermons  would  have  belonged  to  your 
late  mother,  Madame  la  Mareschale  de  la  Force,  as  a  continua- 
tion of  those  which  I  have  already  presented  to  the  public 
under  her  patronage  ;  but  since  it  has  pleased  God  to  take  her 
to  the  repose  of  his  heavenly  kingdom,  where  she  has  no 
longer  need  of  our  feeble  assistance,  seeing  fully  and  clearly 
in  the  great  Source  of  light  those  divine  truths  which  we  can 
behold  only  through  a  thick  veil,  and  can  explain  only  in  a 
stammering  tongue,  I  consider  myself  obliged,  madame,  by  all 
means,  to  dedicate  my  little  work  to  you.  And  if  that  happy 
spirit,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  felicity  she  now  possesses,  ac- 
cording to  her  hope  and  the  promise  of  her  Lord,  can  have 
any  knowledge  of  the  events  which  occur  on  earth,  I  feel 
assured  she  will  approve  my  choice,  and  rejoice  to  see  the  page 
formerly  destined  for  her  name  occupied  by  yours.  For  not 
only  are  you  of  her  blood,  and  the  eldest  of  the  children  she 
has  left  behind,  but  you  also  inherit  her  virtues.  You  assemble 
the  church  in  your  house,  as  she  was  wont  in  her  lifetime,  and, 
like  her,  you  there  strengthen  its  confidence  in  God  and  the 
knowledge  of  his  word.  You  train  up  the  children  which 
God  has  given  you,  and  form  them  for  his  service  by  diligent 
instruction,  and  by  the  example  of  a  holy  life.  You  carefully 
preserve  the  sacred  deposit  of  faith  which  (to  speak  with  Paul) 
dwelt  first  in  your  ancestors,  and  especially  in  that  great  hero, 
whose  praise  is  in  the  world  and  in  the  church,  Monseigneur 
du  Plessis,  your  grandfather.  I  therefore  deem  it  my  duty  to 
honour  virtues  which  flourish  on  so  illustrious  a  stem,  and 
spread  a  pure  and  sweet  odour  through  the  house  of  God.     Be 


CHAP.   III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS  279 

pleased,  then,  madame,  to  receive  this  book  which  1  present  to 
you,  not  only  as  the  heiress  of  your  late  mother,  to  whom  it 
belonged,  but  also  as  a  sincere  testimonial  of  the  esteem  which 
I  feel  towards  you,  and  of  the  ardent  desire  I  have  to  promote 
the  edification  of  yourself  and  all  your  family  as  far  as  I  am 
able. 

To  God  I  commend  you  in  my  prayers,  and  remain  inviol- 
ably, Madame, 

Your  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

Paris,  April  Uth,  1647.  DAILLÉ. 


SERMON  XVII. 
CHAPTER  III. 

VERSES   1 — 3. 


Finally ,  my  brethren,  rejoice  in  the  Lord.  To  write  the  same 
things  to  you,  to  me  indeed  is  not  grievous,  but  for  you  it  is  safe, 
Beware  of  dogs,  beware  of  evil  workers,  beware  of  the  concision. 
For  we  are  the  circumcision,  which  worship  God  in  the  spirit, 
and  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh. 

As  there  is  no  doctrine  in  the  world  more  contrary  to  the 
kingdom  and  interests  of  Satan  than  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
so  there  is  none  which  that  mortal  enemy  of  the  human  race 
detests  and  combats  more  cruelly.  Besides  the  persecutions 
that  he  raises  from  without  against  this  divine  truth,  he  attacks 
it  still  more  from  within  by  his  seductive  artifices,  inspiring 
its  ministers  with  various  errors,  in  order  to  corrupt  the  purity 
of  the  sacred  word,  and  thereby  render  it  ineffectual  to  the 
salvation  of  men. 

This  the  apostle  foretold  to  the  Corinthians,  and  the  expe- 
rience of  all  ages  has  verified  the  prediction,  "  There  must  be 
also  heresies  among  you,  that  they  which  are  approved  among 
you  may  be  made  manifest,"  1  Cor.  xi.  19.  And  he  also  warned 
the  Ephesians,  that  "  after  his  departure  would  grievous  wolves 
thrust  themselves  in  among  them,  not  sparing  the  flock  ;  and 
that  even  of  themselves  would  men  arise,  speaking  perverse 
things,  in  order  to  draw  away  disciples  after  them,"  Acts  xx. 
29,  30.     In  fact,  we  learn  from  the  Epistles  of  this  holy  man, 


280  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVII. 

that  scarcely  had  he  quitted  the  churches  he  had  established 
among  the  nations,  when  false  teachers  immediatelj  presented 
themselves,  to  tempt  them  and  corrupt  their  faith.  Amongst 
others  he  complains  often  of  the  Jews,  who,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  Christianity,  used  every  effort  to  confound  the  gospel  with 
the  law,  and  mingle  Moses  with  Jesus  Christ;  endeavouring, 
under  various  plausible  pretences,  to  introduce  among  believers 
circumcision,  and  the  observance  of  the  other  ceremonies  of 
the  Old  Testament.  It  was  these  miserable  people  who  had 
tainted  the  churches  of  Galatia  with  the  pernicious  leaven  of 
their  false  doctrine,  as  appears  by  the  divine  Epistle  addressed 
to  them  by  Paul,  wherein  that  true  servant  of  God,  burning 
with  zeal  for  the  honour  of  his  Lord,  argues  at-  some  length 
against  those  impostors,  with  apostolic  plainness  and  vehe- 
mence. They  had  also  tempted  the  Philippians,  although 
without  success,  those  believers  having  courageously  resisted 
their  seductions,  and  constantly  maintained  the  doctrine  of 
Paul  in  all  its  purity.  But  as  love  is  always  full  of  appre- 
hension, the  apostle,  fearing  that  the  arts  of  those  deceivers 
might  at  length  make  some  impression  on  the  hearts  of  his 
dear  disciples,  warns  them  in  this  chapter  to  stand  on  their 
guard.  Hitherto  he  had  armed  their  faith  against  persecution 
and  the  vices  of  the  world,  now  he  fortifies  it  against  the  as- 
saults of  error.  And  as  in  the  former  part  of  this  Epistle  he 
presents  to  them  Jesus  Christ,  in  whose  humiliation  and  glory 
we  have  abundance  of  consolations  in  affliction  and  of  preser- 
vatives against  sin  ;  so  in  this  second,  he  again  sets  him  forth 
as  the  inexhaustible  source  of  justice  and  truth,  in  opposition 
to  all  the  seductions  of  error.  He  also  declares  to  them  his 
own  example,  who,  having  every  advantage  which  those  false 
teachers  possessed,  and  in  a  much  higher  degree  than  they,  had, 
nevertheless,  voluntarily  renounced  all  to  be  found  in  Jesus 
Christ.  Then,  having  exhorted  the  Philippians  to  modesty, 
concord,  and  the  imitation  of  his  conduct  and  conversation, 
and  having  manifested  the  nlthiness  of  those  evil-doers  who 
thought  only  of  their  belly  and  the  pleasures  of  the  flesh  ;  he 
concludes,  by  setting  before  their  eyes  the  dignity  of  christians, 
and  the  excellence  of  their  condition  who  have  no  inheritance 
on  earth,  but  are  citizens  of  heaven,  from  whence  they  expect 
Christ  their  Lord,  and  his  blessed  immortality. 

This,  dear  brethren,  is  the  subject  and  summary  of  this 
chapter,  which  shall  be  hereafter,  if  it  please  God,  matter  for 
our  discourses.  At  present,  we  shall  endeavour  to  explain  to 
you  the  first  part,  contained  in  the  three  verses  you  have  just 
heard  :  and,  to  proceed  with  order,  we  shall  consider,  First, 
the  consolation  given  by  the  apostle  to  the  Philippians  at  the 
commencement,  which  is,  as  it  were,  the  conclusion  of  the 
whole  preceding  chapter,  and  the  foundation  of  the  present: 
"  Finally,  my  brethren,  rejoice  in  the  Lord." 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  281 

Then,  secondly,  follows  a  brief  excuse  which  he  makes  to 
them  for  teaching  them  often  the  same  things  :  "  To  write  the 
same  things  to  you,  to  me  indeed  is  not  grievous,  but  for  you 
it  is  safe." 

Thirdly,  We  shall  see  the  grave  and  solemn  warning  he  gives 
them  to  beware  of  false  apostles  :  "Beware  of  dogs,  beware  of 
evil- workers,  beware  of  the  concision." 

And  fourth  and  lastly,  We  shall  consider  the  reasons  which 
he  adds  :  "  For  we  are  the  circumcision,  which  worship  God  in 
the  spirit,  and  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence 
in  the  flesh." 

I.  Touching  the  first  point  where  the  apostle  commands  the 
Philippians  to  "  rejoice  in  the  Lord,"  some  have  considered 
that  it  relates  simply  to  what  had  been  said  in  the  preceding 
chapter  respecting  the  mission,  the  recovery,  and  the  zeal  of 
Epaphroditus,  and  to  his  own  contentment  in  the  midst  of 
bonds,  and  firm  resolution  to  live  or  die  joyfully  for  the  gospel. 
As  though  he  had  said  to  these  believers,  Since  your  affairs 
and  mine  are  in  this  state,  nothing  remains  but  that  you  should 
be  content,  and  extract  from  these  mercies  of  God  a  pure  and 
spiritual  joy  worthy  of  that  heavenly  Sovereign   and  Lord 
whom  you  serve.     But  I  consider  that,  besides  this,  it  relates 
principally  to  what  he  had  before  taught  of  the  humiliation  of 
Christ,  and  the  glory  to  which  he  had  been  raised,  and  to  the 
providence  with  which  he  governs  all  things  ;  concluding  from 
thence,  that  since  they  have  the  honour  of  belonging  to  this 
sovereign  Lord,  and  of  being  in  him  by  faith  in  his  gospel, 
they  might  henceforth  be  at  rest,  rejoicing  in  the  possession  of 
so  rich  a  treasure,  without  being  astonished  or  afflicted  at  the 
misfortunes  which  might  happen  to  them,  or  with  which  others 
might  threaten  them.     This  is  signified  by  the  word  "finally," 
which  he  uses  at  the  commencement  to  unite  this  and  the  pre- 
ceding chapter;  that,  since  they  are  built  upon  Jesus  Christ,  and 
their  salvation  is  secure  in  him,  they  have  now  but  to  perse- 
vere with  constancy,  and  to  rejoice  during  the  remainder  of 
their  life  with  that  perfect  peace  which  such  a  certainty  of  bliss 
is  calculated  to  produce  in  their  hearts  ;  seeking  and  finding 
in  Christ  that  consolation  in  distress,  and  that  peace  and  joy, 
which  their  souls  require  in  the  midst  of  so  many  trials.     For 
Satan,  by  the  troubles  he  raises  up  for  believers,  endeavours 
to  imbitter  every  feeling,  and  render  the  name  and  the  gospel 
of  Christ  unpleasing.     But  the  apostle  desires  that  we  should 
so  taste  the  grace  of  God,  that  this  holy  feeling  should  sweeten 
every  thing,  and  render  us  joyful  in  all  the  doubts,  trials,  and 
afflictions  of  this  life.     Indeed,  if  we  have  Jesus  Christ  truly 
dwelling  in  our  hearts  by  faith,  no  grief,  no  labour,  no  calamity 
is  capable  of  hurting  us,  or  of  destroying  our  peace.     For  in 
him  is  abundantly  found  a  fulness  of  every  good,  and  a  deli- 
36 


282  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XVII. 

verance  from  every  evil.  Let  the  world  and  the  devil  take 
away  from  the  believer  everything  he  holds  dear  on  earth,  let 
them  plunge  him  into  the  most  dreadful  evils, — they  cannot 
take  away  his  joy,  because  Jesus  Christ,  the  Prince  of  peace, 
the  Father  everlasting,  the  Author  of  all  grace,  dwells  in  him  ; 
and  he  preserves  all  those  who  possess  him  in  the  fires,  and 
even  in  death  itself;  and,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of  their  ene- 
mies, defends  and  maintains  in  them  the  life,  happiness,  and 
immortality  which  he  gave  them. 

Eejoice  then  in  him,  beloved  brethren  ;  shut  your  eyes  to 
all  other  objects,  and  regard  none  but  this.  Consider  the 
grace  that  Christ  has  given  you,  and  it  is  impossible  but  that 
the  consideration  must  bring  with  it  solid  and  true  peace. 
This  Saviour  has  appeased  the  wrath  of  God  ;  he  has  rendered 
him  propitious  and  favourable  to  you  ;  he  has  abolished  the 
curse  of  the  law;  he  has  conquered  death;  he  has  opened 
heaven  to  you  ;  he  has  made  you  the  children  of  God,  brethren 
and  fellow  citizens  with  angels  ;  he  has  united  himself  to  you, 
having  mingled  his  blood  and  spirit  with  yours;  so  that  hence- 
forth you  are  co-heirs  with  him,  "  members  of  his  body,  of  his 
flesh,  and  of  his  bones  ;"  you  partake  of  his  kingdom  and 
glory.  But  we  shall  have  (with  God's  help)  another  opportu- 
nity of  treating  more  fully  on  the  subject  of  the  christian's 
joy,  when,  in  the  following  chapter,  we  shall  find  the  apostle 
repeating  the  same  command  to  us  in  stronger  terms:  "Re- 
joice in  the  Lord  always  ;  and  again  I  say,  Rejoice." 

For  the  present,  I  will  only  add  that  Paul  here  lays  the  foun- 
dation of  the  exhortation  to  the  Philippians  which  follows,  to 
beware  of  false  teachers  of  the  circumcision  ;  it  being  evident 
that  if  these  believers  rejoice  in  the  Lord  as  he  commands 
them,  if  they  rely  on  him  as  on  a  sure  foundation,  where  they 
can  enjoy  true  peace,  it  will  be  in  vain  that  these  people  press 
them  to  mingle  the  observances  of  Moses  with  the  gospel  ;  for 
all  these  additional  ceremonies,  whether  they  be  of  Moses  or  of 
others,  which  false  teachers  are  continually  endeavouring  to 
introduce  into  the  religion  of  christians,  proceed  purely  from 
the  distaste  which  they  have  for  Christ.  It  appears  to  them 
that  faith  is  too  simple  and  naked  a  thing,  and  therefore  they 
smother  it  with  their  own  inventions,  and  accuse  those  who 
content  themselves  with  Christ  alone  of  spoiling  religion  of 
her  necessary  ornaments.  This  was  the  sin  of  the  Israelites 
in  the  desert,  who  were  disgusted  with  the  manna  sent  from 
God,  as  meagre  food,  and  coveted  the  flesh  and  onions  of  Egypt. 
These  Jews  also,  of  whom  the  apostle  here  complains,  despised 
like  them  the  simplicity  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  true  Bread 
which  came  down  from  heaven,  and  wished  to  unite  with  him 
Moses  and  a  carnal  service.  And  from  the  same  root  springs 
the  disordered  appetite  of  those  who,  in  the  present  day,  add 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  283 

to  the  gospel  of  Jesus  so  many  traditions  and  human  ceremo- 
nies. 

Very  wisely,  therefore,  does  the  apostle,  both  here  and  in 
his  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  shield  believers  from  this  snare, 
by  setting  forth  Jesus  Christ  as  the  source  of  joy,  the  treasury 
of  all  good,  which  contains  in  its  simplicity  every  grace  of 
which  we  stand  in  need,  and  where  dwelleth  the  fulness  of  the 
Godhead  bodily. 

II.  Having  laid  the  foundation,  he  goes  on  to  the  warning 
which  he  gives  them  to  beware  of  false  teachers.  But,  first,  he 
makes  a  short  preface,  which  we  now,  in  the  second  place,  con- 
sider :  "  To  write  the  same  things  unto  you,  to  me  indeed  is 
not  grievous,  but  for  you  it  is  safe." 

These  "  things,"  of  which  he  speaks,  may  relate  generally  to 
all  the  points  of  doctrine  on  which  he  had  already  dwelt  in 
this  Epistle,  or  to  those  on  which  he  might  hereafter  dwell. 
But  it  seems  best  to  restrict  them  especially  to  the  warning 
which  he  was  about  to  give  the  Philippians  to  beware  of  the 
corruptions  of  false  teachers.  It  is  unnecessary  to  suppose  he 
had  written  any  previous  letter  to  them,  in  which  he  had 
treated  of  the  same  subject.  It  is  sufficient  that  he  had  spoken 
of  it  when  with  them,  recommending  them,  as  he  did  his  other 
disciples,  not  to  lend  an  ear  to  those  impostors  who  wished  to 
replace  christians  under  the  yoke  of  the  Mosaic  law.  He  there- 
fore replies  to  an  idea  that  may  have  arisen  in  their  minds, 
that  it  was  useless  to  take  the  trouble  of  repeating  in  his  letter 
the  same  warning  which  he  had  so  often  given  them  in  word. 
No,  says  he  to  the  believers,  it  is  neither  grievous  to  me,  nor 
useless  to  you,  that  I  should  frequently  teach  the  same  thing. 
It  rather  insures  your  safety.  This  repetition  may  serve  to 
place  your  faith  out  of  danger,  and  secure  it  at  all  points 
against  the  assaults  and  temptations  of  the  enemy.  For  the 
dulness  of  our  minds,  in  every  thing  regarding  salvation,  is 
such,  that  we  easily  pass  over  that  which  is  told  us  but  once, 
or  we  imagine  that  at  least  it  is  not  a  matter  of  any  conse- 
quence. Fearing,  therefore,  that  his  silence  might  place  the 
faith  of  the  Philippians  in  danger,  the  apostle  is  not  ashamed 
to  reiterate  the  warnings  which  they  had  formerly  heard  from 
him.  And  in  thus  acting  he  gives  an  excellent  lesson  to  those 
in  the  church  who  preach,  and  to  those  who  hear,  not  to  be 
weary  ;  the  former  with  teaching,  the  latter  with  hearing,  often- 
times the  same  things. 

As  for  the  first,  since  God  has  established  them  pastors  of 
his  flock,  it  is  not  enough  that  they  present  to  the  sheep  the 
pasture  of  the  heavenly  word  once  or  twice,  on  that  they  chase 
away  once  or  twice  the  wolf  from  the  fold.  They  must  con- 
tinue these  duties  to  the  end  without  weariness.  For  as  the 
enemy  watches  night  and  day  for  the  destruction  of  the  church  ; 


284  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XVII. 

as  he  is  never  discouraged,  but  returns  again  and  again,  pre- 
senting himself  boldly,  and  incessantly  sounding  in  our  ears 
the  same  lies  and  seductions;  it  is  but  reasonable  that  we  should 
oppose  indefatigable  vigilance  to  his  obstinate  effrontery,  and 
the  firmness  of  the  truth  to  the  importunity  of  his  lies  ;  and 
that  we  should  have  as  much  ardour  and  zeal  for  your  salva- 
tion as  he  has  for  your  ruin. 

And  as  for  you,  believers,  instead  of  being  wearied  with  our 
continual  reiteration  of  your  duties,  Oh,  take  it  in  good  part, 
remembering  that  it  is  for  your  greater  security  that  we  thus 
act  towards  you.  Let  not  your  ears  be  so  refined  that  they 
cannot  endure  to  hear  a  thing  repeated  more  than  once.  Alas  ! 
the  life  of  the  majority  too  visibly  proves,  that  however  often 
truth  may  have  been  set  before  them,  it  has  not  yet  been  well 
understood.  We  cannot  therefore  explain  too  often  what  you 
do  not  yet  comprehend  ;  and  if  the  gospel  of  Christ  cannot  be 
too  much  in  our  hearts,  it  is  evident  it  cannot  be  too  often  in 
our  mouths. 

III.  But  the  apostle,  having  now  secured  the  attention  of 
the  Philippians,  gives  them  a  holy  and  salutary  warning  against 
the  corruptions  of  false  teachers,  in  these  words  :  "  Beware  of 
dogs,  beware  of  evil-workers,  beware  of  the  concision."  We 
have  already  said,  that  he  here  alludes  to  those  among  the  con- 
verted Jews,  who  considered  the  observance  of  the  Mosaic  law 
and  its  ceremonies,  as  circumcision,  &c,  to  be  necessary  before 
christians  could  be  justified  in  the  sight  of  God.  That  they 
are  the  same  against  whom  he  argues  at  length  in  the  Epistles 
to  the  Galatians  and  Colossians,  is  manifest  from  the  words 
and  ideas  which  he  here  uses  ;  it  being  evident  that  they  are 
perfectly  descriptive  of  these  people,  and  cannot  relate  to 
others.  He  describes  them  especially  by  three  remarkable  ap- 
pellations : 

First,  "  Dogs." 

Secondly,  "  Evil- workers  ;"  and, 

Thirdly,  "  The  concision." 

The  "  dog  "  is  in  all  languages  the  image  and  symbol  of  im- 
pudence, and  the  most  ancient  of  heathen  poets*  gives  to  a 
man  the  eyes  of  a  dog  to  signify  extreme  impudence,  because 
the  countenance,  and  particularly  the  eye,  should  be  the  seat 
of  bashfulness.  Scripture,  also,  uses  the  name  of  this  animal 
as  a  term  of  reproach,  to  describe  a  profane  person,  a  hardened 
sinner,  who  sells  himself  a  slave  to  all  kinds  of  vice  without 
shame  before  God  or  man.  It  is  in  this  sense  the  word  is  used 
in  Matt.  vii.  15,  where  our  Lord  forbids  his  disciples  to  give 
"  holy  things  to  the  dogs  ;"  and  also  in  Rev.  xxii.  15,  where  the 
Holy  Spirit  banishes  from  the  celestial  city  "dogs,  and  sor- 

*  Homer. 


CHAP.   III.J        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  285 

cerers,  and  whoremongers,  and  murderers,  and  idolaters,  and 
whatsoever  loveth  and  maketh  a  lie."  In  the  book  of  Proverbs, 
chap.  xxvi.  11,  and  in  the  Second  Epistle  of  Peter,  those  who 
fall  many  times  into  the  same  wickedness  are  compared  to 
"  dogs  :"  "  As  the  dog  returneth  to  his  own  vomit  again,  so 
doth  the  fool  to  his  folly."  And  our  Lord  gives  the  same  name 
to  pagans,  who  live  far  from  communion  with  God  and  his 
people,  when  he  says  to  the  Canaanitish  woman,  "  It  is  not 
meet  to  take  the  children's  bread,  and  give  it  to  the  dogs," 
Matt.  xv.  26,  i.  e.,  on  account  of  their  ignorance,  brutality,  and 
profaneness.  The  law  placed  the  dog  among  unclean  animals, 
so  that  even  the  money  procured  by  the  sale  of  a  dog  was  an 
abomination  to  the  Lord,  Deut.  xxiii.  18.  All  these  reasons 
prove  that  the  apostle  in  this  place,  under  the  general  word 
"  dogs,"  would  describe  false  teachers.  For  their  impudence 
was  evident,  in  that  they  gave  the  lie  boldly  to  the  real  servants 
of  God,  and  dared  to  re-establish  what  Christ  had  abolished. 
They  had  also  fallen  back  into  their  original  error,  for,  from 
Jews  having  become  Christians,  they  had  again  returned  to 
Judaism,  wishing  to  mix  it  with  the  gospel.  And  lastly,  they 
had  thrown  themselves  by  this  out  of  communion  with  God, 
and  out  of  his  church,  none  being  qualified  to  have  part  therein 
but  those  "  who  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  But  it 
is  very  likely  that,  in  calling  them  "  dogs,"  Paul  had  especial 
reference  to  that  filthy  and  shameful  gluttony  which  he  after- 
wards, at  the  close  of  this  chapter,  so  expressly  blames,  saying, 
"  Whose  belly  is  their  god,  and  whose  glory  is  in  their  shame, 
who  mind  earthly  things,  who  are  enemies  of  the  cross  of 
Christ."  From  whence  it  appears,  that  however  fair  and  spe- 
cious the  pretensions  of  these  people  might  be,  yet,  in  reality, 
they  were  guided  only  by  the  flesh  and  the  belly.  For  it  is 
this  profane  and  sensual  brutality  which  is  specially  pointed 
out  by  the  name  here  given  them  of  "  dogs,"  as  though  he 
would  say  that  they  were  but  filthy  and  gluttonous  beasts,  who 
railed  against  wholesome  doctrine  that  they  might  the  more 
indulge  the  lusts  of  the  flesh. 

Isaiah  also  calls  the  false  teachers  of  his  day  "  greedy  dogs 
which  can  never  have  enough,"  Isa.  lvi.  11. 

The  second  title  the  apostle  gives  them  is  that  of  "evil- 
workers."  I  would  not  absolutely  deny  that  in  naming  them 
thus,  he  might  have  reference  to  that  which  these  people  were 
incessantly  crying,  Works,  works,  pretending  that  through 
them  alone  man  can  be  justified  before  God.  But  it  certainly 
appears  to  me  more  probable  that  Paul  intends  simply  to  blame 
them,  and  to  reject  the  pains  they  took  to  preach,  and  to  run 
hither  and  thither,  because  it  was  done  with  a  bad  design,  and 
still  worse  success,  both  with  regard  to  themselves  and  to 
others.     They  laboured — but  it  was  to  tear  up  that  which  had 


286  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVII. 

been  well  and  happily  planted,  and  to  sow  the  seeds  of  dissen- 
sion and  error.  They  laboured — but  it  was  for  the  ruin  of 
souls,  like  Satan,  who  disquiets  the  world,  and  prowls  around 
the  church  to  tempt  men  and  draw  them  into  perdition  ;  or 
like  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  who  compassed  sea  and  land  but 
to  render  their  proselytes  doubly  the  children  of  hell.  For 
there  are  always  in  the  world  numbers  of  these  workers,  who 
give  themselves  much  trouble  to  do  that  which  is  of  no  value, 
and  who,  under  pretence  of  edifying  the  church,  embroil  and 
ruin  every  thing  ;  unhappy  people  !  who,  after  so  much  time 
and  trouble  lost  in  these  visionary  schemes,  reap  no  other  fruit 
than  their  own  damnation,  and  the  utter  confusion  of  those 
who  were  carried  away  by  their  impostures.  It  would  be  in- 
finitely better,  both  for  themselves  and  others,  that  they  should 
remain  all  their  life  with  their  arms  crossed  in  the  most  pro- 
found indolence,  than  consume  themselves  thus  by  labouring 
in  a  bad  cause. 

Lastly,  the  apostle  calls  these  false  teachers  "  the  concision  :" 
"  Beware  of  the  concision."  This  word  is  not  in  use  in  our 
language.  But  our  Bibles  have  necessarily  retained  it,  in  order, 
in  some  measure,  to  represent  the  elegance  and  grace  of  the 
original  term,  and  to  preserve  the  resemblance  which  exists 
between  the  word  signifying  circumcision  and  that  which  the 
apostle  here  uses,  which  signifies  to  retrench,  cut  off,  tear  away  ; 
and  which  is  rendered  "concision,"  from  a  Latin  word,  ap- 
proaching as  you  see  to  circumcision.  These  false  teachers  re- 
tained the  Mosaic  ceremonial,  and  especially  circumcision,  the 
seal  of  the  old  covenant,  the  livery  and  mark  of  those  who 
had  part  therein,  of  such  great  importance  under  the  law,  that 
even  the  Sabbath,  one  of  the  most  ancient  ceremonies  of  the 
primitive  race,  yielded  to  it,  it  being  permitted  to  circumcise 
infants  on  the  Sabbath  day  (all  other  work  or  manual  labour 
being  forbidden)  when  it  happened  that  this  was  the  eighth 
day  from  the  birth  of  the  child.  On  this  account  the  whole 
Jewish  nation  is  frequently  called  "  the  circumcision,"  from  its 
most  ancient  and  necessary  mark.  For  this  reason  those  false 
teachers  who  retained  the  custom  among  the  christians  might 
be  called  by  this  name,  and  perhaps  they  gloried  in  it,  calling 
themselves  and  those  of  their  sect  "  the  circumcision,"  as  though 
none  but  they  were  in  covenant  with  God.  Paul,  to  put  down 
their  presumption,  instead  of  this  glorious  name  of  circum- 
cision, gives  them  another  nearly  approaching  to  it  in  sound, 
and  in  the  number  of  syllables,  but  very  distinct  in  sense;  for 
he  calls  them  "  the  concision."  that  is,  the  cut  off,  the  diminished 
ones,  and  not  "  the  circumcision  ;"  meaning  to  show,  that  by 
their  doctrine  and  the  practice  of  this  ceremony,  instead  of 
placing  men  in  covenant  with  the  Lord,  they  cut  them  off,  and 
unhappily  divided  the  church,  instead  of  uniting  it  to  the 


CHAP.   III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  287 

Saviour;  this  mark  which  they  made  in  the  bodies  of  their 
miserable  disciples  being  no  longer,  as  formerly,  under  the  old. 
covenant,  the  sign  of  their  renunciation  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh, 
but  rather  a  sign  and  seal  of  their  renunciation  of  Christ,  and 
of  the  wounds  and  divisions  which  they  were  making  in  Chris- 
tianity. It  is  a  mode  of  expression  somewhat  similar  to  that 
of  some  learned  writers  of  the  church  of  Rome,  who,  describ- 
ing the  lives  of  some  of  their  popes,  which  they  acknowledge 
to  have  been  very  wicked  and  pernicious  to  the  church,  call 
them  not  apostolical,  (which  is  the  title  usually  given  to  the 
popes,)  but  apostatical* 

Such  was  also  the  witty  saying  of  a  learned  man  of  onr 
nation,f  who,  speaking  of  Pope  Boniface  VIII.,  well  known 
for  his  violence  against  this  kingdom,  called  him  Maliface  in- 
stead of  Boniface.  This  figure  of  speech  is  not  uncommon  in 
the  best  authors,  and  teachers  of  rhetoric  call  it  paronomasia. 
It  is  thus  therefore  that  Paul  calls  these  false  judaizing  teachers 
"  the  concision,"  and  not  "  the  circumcision."  Upon  which  we 
have  three  remarks  to  make  before  we  pass  on  ;  the  first  upon 
the  words,  and  the  two  others  on  the  things  themselves.  And, 
first,  with  regard  to  the  words  ;  this  example  teaches  us  that 
the  instruments  of  the  Holy  Spirit  disdain  not  that  elegance 
which  allusions  and  the  affinity  of  words  give  to  language, 
provided  they  consist  with  decency  and  gravity,  and  do  not 
fall  into  affectation  and  buffoonery,  both  of  which  are  un- 
worthy of  an  honest  man,  and  still  more  so  of  a  servant  of 
God.  Thus  we  find  that  elsewhere  the  apostle  often,  with 
beauty  and  elegance,  contrasts  various  words  and  ideas  with 
their  opposites,  and  that  even  sometimes  he  seeks  to  ornament 
his  language  by  allusions  from  the  Hebrew  and  Syriac  ;  as,  for 
example,  when  he  says,  "  the  praise  of  a  real  Jew  is  of  God," 
Rom.  v.  29,  he  evidently  alludes  to  the  origin  of  the  name 
"Jew,"  which  in  Hebrew  signifies  praise  ;  and  in  another  place, 
where  he  says  "  our  afflictions  work  out  for  us  a  weight  of 
glory,"  1  Cor.  iv.  17,  he,  without  doubt,  makes  allusion  to  the 
word  "  glory"  in  the  Syriac,  where  it  signifies  weight  or  heavi- 
ness. The  prophet  Isaiah,  among  the  writers  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, makes  such  frequent  use  of  these  ornaments,  that 
there  is  scarcely  one  of  the  writers  of  his  age  whose  lan- 
guage is  so  flowery,  and  so  abundant  in  figures  and  allusions. 
ÏVom  whence  it  appears  how  unreasonable  those  are  who  wish 
to  banish  these  elegancies  from  the  words  and  writings  of  God's 
servants. 

But  we  must,  secondly,  remark,  most  carefully,  the  inutility, 
or,  to  speak  plainly,  the  poison,  of  those  things  which  are  pressed 
into  religion  without  the  command  of  God.     God  had  formerly 

*  Gembrard  in  his  Chronicle,  A.  D.  901.  f  M.  Servin. 


288  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XVII, 

instituted  circumcision  ;  he  had  given  it  to  Abraham,  and  after- 
wards, by  the  law  of  Moses,  had  again  commanded  the  Israel- 
ites to  observe  it.  It  was  the  seal  of  the  justice  of  God,  and 
the  token  of  his  covenant.  Yet,  nevertheless,  when  Jesus 
Christ  had  abolished  the  carnal  law,  and  established  divine 
worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  circumcision  became  concision, 
a  cutting  off,  instead  of  a  union.  Such,  without  doubt,  is  the 
nature  of  every  ceremony  of  man's  device,  as  abstaining  from 
meats,  observing  days,  &c.  These  are  no  longer  the  livery  of 
God's  people  ;  the  marks  of  our  faith  in  him,  or  the  seals  of 
our  union  to  him.  They  are  vain  things,  of  no  other  service 
than  to  rend  the  mystical  body  of  Christ,  to  wound  the  con- 
science, and  to  injure  rather  than  edify. 

And,  lastly,  we  must  remark  here  the  holy  vehemence  of  the 
apostle  against  these  false  teachers,  whom  he  denominates 
"  dogs,  evil-workers,  cutters-off  ;"  very  severe  words,  to  teach 
us  that  we  must  never  regard  with  an  indifferent  eye  those 
who  disturb  the  church  and  truth  of  God,  but  must  consider 
them  such  as  they  are  in  reality — unhappy  and  pernicious 
instruments  in  the  hands  of  Satan.  We  should  however  be- 
ware lest,  under  colour  of  zeal,  we  suffer  ourselves  to  be  carried 
away  by  an  excess  of  hatred  ;  but  let  us  so  restrain  our  hearts 
and  tongues,  that  in  the  just  indignation  we  feel  against  the  at- 
tempts of  these  people  we  may  still  show  love  to  their  persons, 
not  to  uphold  them  or  to  follow  their  doctrines,  but  to  desire 
and  endeavour  after  their  salvation  as  much  as  possible. 
For  the  apostle  commands  the  Philippiahs  to  beware  of  those 
whom  he  had  thus  described  ;  and  to  show  them  how  needful 
it  was  for  the  glory  of  God  and  their  own  safety  to  fly  such 
pests,  he  repeats  his  words  three  times  :  "  Beware  of  dags,  be- 
ware of  evil-workers,  beware  of  the  concision."  This  duty  con- 
tains two  parts.  First,  that  we  should  be  able  to  distinguish 
these  evil-workers  from  good  ones;  and  second,  that  having 
distinguished  them,  we  should  shut  our  ears  to  their  instruc- 
tions, and  quickly  withdraw  from  communion  with  them. 
The  word  here  used  by  the  apostle  relates  precisely  to  the  first 
of  these  duties,  signifying  to  see,  regard,  and  consider  a  thing, 
so  as  to  discern  and  recognize  it  among  others.  This  is  the 
same  that  John  so  distinctly  commands,  "Beloved,  try  the 
spirits,  whether  they  be  of  God,"  1  John  iv.  2  ;  and  Paul  else- 
where says  that  "  we  should  examine  all  things,  and  hold  fast 
that  which  is  good,"  1  Thess.  v.  2.  Our  Lord  also  gives  us 
this  mark  of  his  sheep,  "that  they  know  his  voice,  and  discern 
it  from  that  of  a  stranger,"  John  x.  4,  5.  From  whence  it  ap- 
pears, first,  that  it  is  by  the  doctrine  that  preachers  should  be 
discerned,  and  not  the  doctrine  by  the  preachers,  as  the  papists 
maintain  ;  and  secondly,  that  the  Lord's  sheep  are  not  of  the 
description  of  those  of  the  pope,  who  receive  with  closed  eyes 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  289 

that  which  is  presented  to  them,  without  examination  or  recog- 
nition ;  who  regard  the  mitre  and  the  cross  rather  than  the 
words  and  instructions  of  the  preacher.  As  for  outward  ap- 
pearance, the  Lord  has  warned  us  that  it  is  often  deceitful  ;  that 
wolves  can  disguise  themselves  as  sheep  ;  and  that  the  angels  of 
Satan  are  sometimes  clothed  like  the  angels  of  light.  But  the 
truth  is  a  certain  and  immutable  thing,  which  can  never  be 
abused.  It  is  that  which  we  must  recognize,  and  for  which 
we  must  examine  the  doctrines  that  are  presented  to  us,  if  we 
wish  to  be  capable  of  obeying  the  apostle,  that  is,  of  discerning 
evil-workers,  and  keeping  ourselves  from  their  impostures. 

Now  this  injunction  of  the  apostle  exposes  alike  the  absur- 
dity and  impiety  of  the  modern  method,  which  enchains  the 
senses,  and  extinguishes  the  light  of  reason,  not  allowing  us  to 
receive  as  certain  any  truth  which  is  to  be  discerned  by  their 
means.  For  how  could  the  Philippians  distinguish  between 
true  and  false  apostles,  except  by  applying  the  marks  given 
by  Paul  ?  and  how  can  christians  of  the  present  day  discern 
the  true  faith  amidst  jarring  opinions,  but  by  confronting  every 
doctrine  with  these  rules,  that  is,  by  reasoning  ?  And  it  must 
not  be  answered  that  the  church  saves  us  this  trouble.  For, 
first,  what  church  soever  you  may  intend,  I  cannot  assure  my- 
self that  it  is  the  true  church,  nor  receive  the  witness  it  gives 
to  any  doctrine,  except  with  the  assistance  of  my  understand- 
ing ;  so  that  it  is  clear,  that  if  all  that  is  done  by  its  interposi- 
tion be  fallible  and  uncertain,  I  can  never  have  any  firm  and 
assured  belief  in  what  the  church  maintains.  For  respecting 
the  church  itself,  these  evil-workers,  of  whom  the  apostle  com- 
mands us  to  beware,  often  assume  that  title  as  boldly  as  those 
who  compose  the  true  church  in  reality.  And  lastly,  supposed 
(but  not  granted,  for  God  forbid  it)  that  the  assembly  of  those 
who  follow  the  pope  composes  the  true  church,  how  am  I  to 
know  what  is  really  its  belief  on  each  point  of  doctrine,  when 
its  ministers  teach  differently  respecting  it?  For  example:  a 
teacher  presents  himself  who  recommends  the  people  to  study 
the  word  of  God.  To  discern  whether  this  be  a  good  or  an 
evil  worker  I  seek  to  know  the  Eomish  church's  decision  on 
this  subject.  At  first  it  appears  to  me  that  it  condemns  this 
custom  ;  for  I  read  that  the  popes,  who  are  its  heads,  say  that 
to  permit  the  reading  of  the  Scriptures  to  all  indifferently 
brings  more  vexation  than  profit,  and  they  therefore  forbid  it 
to  all  their  people,*  "  except  (say  they)  that  the  said  reading 
might  be  allowed  to  those  to  whom  the  bishop  or  inquisitor,  with 
the  advice  of  the  curate  or  confessor,  should  not  consider  it 
hurtful."  The  succeeding  popes  add,  in  the  observation  which 
they  make  on  this  article,  f  that  the  bishops,  inquisitors,  or  su- 

*  Article  4.  Council  of  Trent.  f  Observations  on  the  4th  Article. 

37 


290  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XVII. 

periors  of  religious  houses,  must  not  suppose  that  by  that  they 
have  authority  to  give  licence  to  any  to  purchase,  read,  or  keep  a 
Bible  in  the  vulgar  tongue;  such  power  (as  they  say)  having 
been  taken  from  them  by  the  command  and  usage  of  the  holy 
Eoman  and  Catholic  Inquisition,  and  that  this  command  must 
be  inviolably  observed. 

The  cardinals  Bellarmine  and  Hosius  also,  with  the  greater 
number  of  the  most  celebrated  writers  of  their  communion, 
have  spoken  on  this  point,  and  have  argued  in  the  same  man- 
ner. Yet  nevertheless,  other  teachers  newly  arisen  strongly 
and  positively  deny  that  their  church  forbids  the  people  to  read 
the  Scriptures  in  the  vulgar  tongue,  and  boldly  contradict 
those  who  believe  it  upon  the  authority  of  their  popes. 

Thus  also  with  regard  to  images  :  they  accuse  those  of  mis- 
understanding their  sentiments  who  believe  that  they  give  to 
them  more  honour  than  to  the  Bible,  the  candlesticks,  and 
lamps  employed  in  religious  worship,  although  their  last  coun- 
cil (Trent)  commands  them  to  uncover  the  head  and  prostrate 
themselves  before  images,  and  although  the  public  custom  gives 
them  still  greater  honour. 

In  like  manner,  on  the  doctrine  of  assurance  in  the  grace  of 
God,  one  will  tell  you  that  their  church  believes  it,  and  others 
that  it  condemns  it  ;  and  so  on  many  other  points.  How  then 
can  a  thing  so  doubtful  and  obscure  in  itself  regulate  the  judg- 
ment to  be  given  on  particular  teachers? 

Let  us  then,  leaving  this  uncertain  method,  cling  to  the  truth 
of  God  revealed  in  the  scriptures,  the  only  constant  and  un- 
changeable rule  of  our  faith,  keeping  ourselves  carefully  from 
all  those  who  would  add  to  or  to  take  from  it,  as  from  evil- 
workers. 

IV.  But  it  is  time  to  pass  on  to  the  latter  clause  of  our  text,  in 
which  the  apostle,  to  prove  that  he  was  justified  in  giving  to 
these  false  teachers  the  name  of  concision,  as  signifying  cutters- 
off,  adds  that  to  us  belongs  the  true  name  of  "  circumcision  :" 
"  For  (says  he)  we  are  the  circumcision,  who  worship  God  in 
the  spirit,  and  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence 
in  the  flesh." 

It  is  evident  that  he  here  speaks  of  true  christians,  who  em- 
bracing with  a  lively  faith  the  discipline  of  the  gospel,  serve 
God  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  putting  all  their  trust  in  his  Son, 
and  not  in  any  carnal  thing. 

In  what  sense  then  does  he  denominate  christians  "  the  cir- 
cumcision ?"  Dear  brethren,  the  apostle  by  calling  them  thus, 
and  by  speaking  of  them  elsewhere  as  "  the  seed  of  Abraham 
and  the  Israel  of  God,"  does  not  intend  to  say  that  they  are 
Jews  properly  speaking,  that  is,  descendants  of  the  patriarchs 
after  the  flesh,  but  rather  that  they  have  by  faith  all  the  privi- 
leges of  God's  ancient  people,  and  that  they  are  (as  Peter  also 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  291 

says)  "a  holy  nation,  a  royal  priesthood;"  all  the  dignities  of 
the  first  Israel  having  been  derived  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  by  him  transmitted  to  the  christian  church.  He  likewise 
does  not  here  maintain  that  christians  are  literally  circumcised, 
but  rather  that  they  now  possess  all  those  advantages  and  sal- 
utary effects  which  circumcision  formerly  bestowed  or  signified. 
It  was  the  seal  of  the  covenant  of  God  ;  it  incorporated  with 
his  people  and  in  the  communion  of  his  republic  all  those  who 
received  it.  Jesus  Christ  has  bestowed  both  these  privileges 
on  those  who  believe  in  him.  Certainly  then  they  have  "the 
circumcision  ;"  they  have  all  the  effects,  virtues,  and  excellen- 
cies of  it,  although  they  have  not  the  literal  mark.  For  the 
Holy  Scriptures  usually  designate  by  name  rather  the  dignity 
and  value  of  a  thing  than  its  mere  outward  form.  As,  when 
Isaiah  says  that  alms  and  munificence  are  the  true  fast  chosen 
by  the  Lord,  Isa.  lviii.,  he  intends  to  show  that  they  possessed 
all  the  excellence  and  value  which  were  attributed  to  fasting. 
And  when  the  Lord  Jesus  says  that  "  whosoever  shall  do  the 
will  of  his  Father  which  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  his  brother, 
and  sister,  and  mother,"  he  means  that  he  holds  them  as  in  the 
same  degree  of  relationship  ;  that  he  loves  them,  and  feels  for 
them,  as  though  they  were  his  brother,  his  sister,  or  his  mother. 

It  is  said  also  in  another  place,  "that  he  that  shall  humble 
himself,  the  same  shall  be  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven," 
Matt,  xviii.  4  ;  intimating  that  he  shall  have  all  the  honours  and 
dignities  which  the  disciples  understood  by  that  priority  con- 
cerning which  they  had  disputed  among  themselves. 

But  this  manner  of  speaking,  which  in  itself  is  very  elegant, 
is  of  still  greater  advantage  when,  between  the  subjects  whose 
names  are  exchanged,  there  is  a  similarity  capable  of  maintain- 
ing such  a  change.  And  thus  it  happens  in  our  text.  For 
though  the  christian  receives  not  the  old  circumcision  in  his 
person,  he  suffers  nevertheless  a  certain  separation  which  may 
be  so  called,  because  it  is  the  reality  and  signification  of  the 
other  circumcision.  To  understand  this,  you  must  know  that 
the  "  circumcision"  of  Israel  was  not  merely  the  mark  that  was 
made  in  the  flesh.  For  then  the  Ishmaelites  and  other  profane 
people  (who  were  circumcised  outwardly  as  well  as  the  Jews) 
would  have  possessed  the  sacrament  of  circumcision.  But  in 
it  was  contained  a  mystery,  denoting  the  cutting  away  from 
a  man  all  carnal  affections.  That  this  was  its  sense  and  signi- 
fication we  learn  from  Moses,  who  thus  taught  the  Israelites: 
"  The  Lord  thy  God  will  circumcise  thy  heart,  and  the  heart 
of  thy  seed,  to  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thine  heart  and 
with  all  thy  soul,"  Deut.  xxx.  6.  Jeremiah  also  commands  the 
Jews  to  "  circumcise  themselves  to  the  Lord,  and  take  away 
the  foreskin  of  their  hearts,"  Jer.  iv.  4.  And  Paul  still  more 
clearly  teaches  the  same  truth,  saying,  "  Neither  is  that  circum- 


292  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XVII. 

cision  which  is  outward  in  the  flesh  :  but  circumcision  is  that 
of  the  heart,  in  the  spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter,"  Kom.  ii.  28,  29. 

Thus  the  mystery  and  reality  of  bodily  circumcision  was 
nothing  less  than  a  renunciation  of  flesh  and  blood;  the  Jew 
professing  by  this  ceremony  to  cut  off  from  his  heart  every 
carnal  thought,  affection,  and  desire,  in  order  thenceforward  to 
serve  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  attaching  himself  to  him 
alone,  and  putting  all  his  trust  in  him,  and  not  in  man  or  in 
the  flesh,  in  which  by  nature  we  are  so  prone  to  place  our  con- 
fidence and  glory.  This  is  the  circumcision  of  which  Paul 
speaks,  calling  it  "  that  made  without  hands,"  Col.  ii.  11. 

Now  that  the  christian  does  suffer  this  sort  of  cutting  away 
when  he  receives  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  evident.  For, 
instead  of  that  external  circumcision  which  takes  away  but  a 
part  of  the  flesh,  the  christian  (as  the  apostle  elegantly  ex- 
presses it,  Col.  ii.  11)  "  puts  off  the  whole  body  of  the  sins  of 
the  flesh  ;"  and  again,  "  He  has  crucified  the  flesh  with  its  af- 
fections and  lusts,"  Gal.  v.  24  ;  and  having  cut  and  torn  it,  not 
with  the  sword  of  Moses,  but  of  the  true  Joshua,  the  thorns 
and  nails  of  Jesus,  he  casts  it  from  him,  and  buries  it  in  the 
sepulchre  of  his  Lord. 

This  then  is  what  the  apostle  teaches  in  our  text,  having 
chosen  those  functions  of  our  religion  which  relate  to  this  spi- 
ritual circumcision  by  which  to  describe  true  christians  : 
"  We  (says  he)  are  the  circumcision,  who  worship  God  in  the 
spirit,  and  rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence  in 
the  flesh." 

By  serving  God  in  spirit,  he  understands  that  spiritual 
worship  established  by  Jesus  Christ  in  the  gospel,  consisting 
of  faith  and  the  love  of  God,  and  in  the  continual  practice  of 
piety,  charity,  and  all  those  virtues  which  depend  thereon,  and 
not  in  bodily  exercises  (of  which  the  worship  of  the  Jews  con- 
sisted) ;  they  having  been  but  the  shadows  and  types,  of  which 
spiritual  piety  is  the  truth  and  reality  ;  and  thus  our  Lord  told 
the  Samaritan  woman,  that  in  his  reign  "the  servants  of  God 
must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 

The  apostle  tells  us,  in  the  second  place,  that  we  "  rejoice  in 
Christ  Jesus  ;"  that  is  to  say,  we  make  profession  of  the  reli- 
gion of  this  divine  and  heavenly  Prince,  in  whom  is  nothing 
carnal;  calling  on  his  name,  and  putting  all  our  hope  of  eter- 
nal life  in  him,  and  glorying  continually  in  the  communion 
that  we  have  with  him.  To  this  he  adds  by  opposition,  that 
"  we  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh,"  that  is,  in  any  outward 
or  corporeal  thing,  our  religion  being  altogether  spiritual  and 
divine.  From  whence  it  appears,  that  no  people  in  the  world 
can  and  may  so  exclusively  claim  the  title  of  "the  circumci- 
sion," not  even  the  ancient  Israelites,  to  whom  circumcision 
especially  belonged.     For  although  in  comparison  with  the 


CHAP.   III.]        THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  293 

false  religions  then  in  vogue,  they  might  say  that  they  wor- 
shipped God  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  having  cast  away  from 
amongst  them  the  gods,  the  idols,  and  the  carnal  ceremonies 
of  the  pagans;  yet,  to  speak  plainly,  their  worship  was  still 
carnal,  consisting  greatly  in  washings,  expiations,  sanctifica- 
tions, sacrifices,  and  other  exterior  ceremonies.  They  had  not 
in  this  respect  altogether  crucified  the  flesh  ;  whereas  among 
christians  there  is  nothing  of  all  this,  their  worship  being  truly 
spiritual.  It  was  the  same  with  their  glorying.  For  although 
God  was  the  author  of  their  religion,  nevertheless  they  gloried 
also  in  Abraham  and  in  Moses,  and  in  their  carnal  extraction  ; 
so  that  in  this  respect  again  they  had  not  cast  away  the  flesh 
from  the  midst  of  them;  whereas  Christ,  in  whom  we  place 
our  glory,  has  destroyed  by  his  cross  all  that  was  carnal  in 
him  and  in  us,  and  is  now  a  heavenly  man,  having  nothing  in 
common  with  the  corruptions  of  flesh  and  blood  ;  on  which 
account  the  apostle  says,  "  The  Lord  is  Spirit,"  2  Cor.  iii.  17, 
and  that  those  who  are  called  by  him  receive  their  dignity 
"  not  of  men,  neither  by  man,"  Gal.  i.  1  ;  and  again,  "  If  we 
have  known  Christ  after  the  flesh,  yet  now  know  we  him  no 
more,"  2  Cor.  v.  16. 

And,  lastly,  although  the  confidence  of  the  Israelites  was 
placed  in  God,  yet  they  also  in  some  degree  trusted  in  the 
flesh,  since  their  temple,  their  altar,  their  sanctuary  were 
"  worldl}',"  as  the  apostle  calls  them,  Heb.  ix.  1  :  and  not  only 
was  their  worship  "bodily,"  but  even  the  priesthood  depended 
on  flesh  and  blood  ;  whereas  our  Lord  Jesus  draws  our  love, 
our  confidence,  and  indeed  our  whole  conversation,  upwards 
to  the  heavens,  "  the  world  being  crucified  to  us,  and  we  unto 
the  world." 

If  then,  as  is  very  evident,  they  best  merit  the  name  of 
"  circumcision"  who  have  most  absolutely  and  completely  cast 
away  the  flesh,  then  does  this  title  properly  belong  to  chris- 
tians: the  ancient  believers  having  possessed  but  the  shadow 
and  type  of  that  of  which  we  possess  the  reality  and  the  spi- 
rit ;  we  (that  is)  who  worship  God  in  the  spirit,  who  glory 
in  the  crucified  One,  and  put  all  our  trust  in  him  alone. 

From  this  it  appears  how  impious  and  pernicious,  as  well  as 
ridiculous,  was  the  superstition  of  those  false  teachers  who 
were  endeavouring  to  introduce  circumcision  and  the  knife  of 
Moses  among  christians,  as  if  the  sword  of  Jesus  and  his  gos- 
pel were  not  powerful  to  circumcise  them  ;  thus  raising  up 
that  which  the  Saviour  had  for  ever  buried,  and  concealing  the 
very  mystery  and  signification  of  circumcision,  which  consists 
in  the  cutting  off  and  taking  away  of  all  carnal  things  ;  in- 
stead of  which  these  unhappy  people  wished  to  re-establish  in 
the  church  a  trusting  in  the  flesh,  exhorting  men  to  place 
their  confidence  in  works  and  carnal  services,  rather  than  in 
the  alone  grace  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Saviour. 


294  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVII. 

It  follows,  then,  that  the  apostle  has  justly  taken  from  them 
the  name  and  glory  of  circumcision,  which  belongs  solely  to 
us,  and  given  them  in  contempt  that  of  concision,  since  in 
reality  all  their  teaching  served  but  to  mutilate  the  body,  the 
spirit,  the  religion  of  true  believers. 

Thus,  dear  brethren,  we  have  expounded  to  you  this  text  of 
the  apostle.  Let  us  now  endeavour  to  profit  by  seriously  ap- 
plying its  doctrine  to  the  security  of  our  faith,  and  the  sanc- 
tification of  our  lives. 

Let  us  then,  first,  receive  into  our  hearts  this  blessed  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ,  the  Prince  of  life,  who  is  presented  to  us  here, 
and  throughout  the  scriptures.  Let  him  dwell  in  us  by  faith, 
and  maintain  peace  and  joy  in  our  souls  in  the  midst  of  the 
storms  of  our  earthly  pilgrimage.  Let  our  understandings  be 
enlightened  with  that  knowledge  which  can  alone  render  us 
capable  of  discerning  truth  from  error,  or  the  traditions  of 
men  from  the  commands  of  God.  Let  our  minds  be  so  habi- 
tuated to  his  teaching,  that  we  instantly  know  his  voice  from 
that  of  strangers.  For  we  have  to  do  with  evil-workers  as 
well  as  the  Philippians,  and  we  must  not  be  surprised  when 
they  discover  themselves  among  us,  since  even  in  the  time  of 
this  great  apostle,  under  his  eye  and  in  his  brilliant  light,  peo- 
ple were  found  bold  enough  to  disturb  his  preaching,  and  en- 
deavour to  corrupt  his  doctrine.  I  leave  it  to  their  consciences 
to  examine  whether  it  be  not  the  flesh  which  prompts  them  to 
act  thus,  whether  it  be  not  the  desire  of  ease  and  advantage, 
and  whether  the  end  of  these  works,  of  which  they  boast  so 
much,  be  not  to  have  part  of  the  good  things  of  this  life. 

But  be  their  motives  what  they 'may,  I  assert  (from  scripture) 
that  they  are  "  evil-workers,"  who  labour  to  ruin  and  destroy 
what  the  gospel  has  built  up  ;  who  corrupt  and  disfigure  what 
the  Lord  has  made  and  established;  who  mingle  together 
things  incompatible,  earth  with  heaven,  flesh  with  spirit,  Jesus 
with  his  adversary.  Let  us,  dear  brethren,  be  content  with 
our  Lord,  and  never  suffer  the  pure  and  spiritual  service  which 
he  has  prescribed  to  us  in  his  word  to  be  injured  by  the  ad- 
mixture of  ceremonies  and  carnal  observances,  inspired  by 
fleshly  minds,  and  not  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  For  if  the  apos- 
tle is  so  strenuously  opposed  to  circumcision  and  the  other 
ceremonies  solemnly  and  publicly  instituted  by  Moses  the  mi- 
nister of  God,  how  much  less  should  we  be  disposed  to  admit 
into  the  religion  of  Jesus  doctrines  established  and  authorized 
by  flesh  and  blood,  which  proceed  from  Rome  instead  of  Sinai, 
from  man  instead  of  God  ! 

But  above  all,  O  believers,  take  heed  that  you  be  the  true 
"  circumcision  "  of  God,  serving  him  in  the  spirit,  rejoicing  in 
his  dear  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  putting  no  manner  of  trust  in 
the  flesh,  or,  as  Paul  elsewhere  expresses  it,  "  renouncing  un- 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  295 

godliness  and  worldly  lusts,  live  soberly,  righteously,  and 
godly  in  this  present  world  ;  looking  for  that  blessed  hope, 
and  the  glorious  appearing  of  our  God  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ."  If  you  possess  this  mystical  and  spiritual  circumci- 
sion, you  will  easily  despise  the  other,  as  well  as  the  whole 
encumbrance  of  superstitious  ceremonies.  For  the  desire  of 
a  carnal  worship  arises  among  christians  entirely  for  want  of 
a  spiritual  mind;  they  have  recourse  to  the  external  sacrifice 
of  their  altars,  in  order  to  supply  the  defect  of  that  internal 
oblation  which  the  apostle  commands  us  to  present  continually 
to  God,  i.  e.,  our  bodies,  as  a  living  sacrifice,  holy  and  accept- 
able to  him,  Rom.  xii.  1.  If  their  consciences  had  been  truly 
purged  from  the  dead  works  of  sin,  they  would  not  have  re- 
quired the  flames  of  purgatory,  holy  water,  or  other  carnal 
purifications.  If  they  had  diligently  given  to  the  Saviour 
that  reasonable  service  which  he  demands,  they  would  never 
have  had  recourse  to  their  fastings,  their  scourgings,  their  pil- 
grimages, their  confessions,  and  other  bodily  exercises,  in 
which,  alas,  nearly  the  whole  of  their  religion  consists. 

To  preserve  yourselves  from  their  errors,  you  then  must  cru- 
cify the  flesh,  and  serve  God  in  spirit.  Circumcise  your  hearts 
with  the  sword  of  his  word,  and  take  from  them  the  lusts  of 
the  flesh,  ambition,  avarice,  luxury,  pride,  envy,  cursing. 
Present  yourselves  daily  to  the  Lord  with  a  chaste  body,  with 
clean  hands  and  a  pure  heart,  with  a  humble  and  holy  mind, 
raising  these  your  offerings  to  heaven  on  the  wings  of  faith, 
and  placing  them  on  the  only  true  altar,  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom 
alone  they  can  be  accepted  of  the  Father.  This  is  the  service 
he  demands  from  us  ;  this  is  the  victim  he  graciously  beholds  ; 
a  heart  full  of  pious  desires,  and  purified  from  all  affections 
contrary  to  his  word. 

Let  his  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  be  all  our  glory,  the  only  object 
of  our  hope,  the  only  object  of  our  joy.  Let  his  life  be  re- 
flected in  ours,  so  that  those  within  and  those  without  may 
recognize  the  marks  of  this  sovereign  Lord.  Let  us  ever  seek 
in  him  alone  our  justification,  our  holiness,  our  liberty,  our 
knowledge,  our  happiness,  our  life. 

May  our  hearts  and  our  confidence  be  detached  from  the 
flesh  and  fleshly  things,  how  specious  and  pompous  soever 
they  may  be  ;  and  may  we  love,  adore,  and  serve  none  but 
Christ  alone,  so  living  and  dying  in  him  that  we  may  have 
part  in  his  kingdom  and  glory.     Amen. 


296  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  XVIII. 

SERMON  XVIII. 

VERSES  4 — 7. 

Though  I  might  also  have  confidence  in  the  flesh.  If  any  other 
rnan  thinketh  that  he  hath  whereof  he  might  trust  in  the  flesh, 
I  more  :  circumcised  the  eighth  day,  of  the  stock  of  Israel,  of 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  an  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews  •  as  touch- 
ing the  law,  a  Pharisee;  concerning  zeal,  persecuting  the 
church  ;  touching  the  righteousness  which  is  in  the  Icau,  blame- 
less. But  what  things  were  gain  to  me,  those  I  counted  loss 
for  Christ. 

Brethren,  well  might  John  the  Baptist  warn  the  Jews  who 
came  to  him  not  to  place  their  dependence  on  having  had  Ab- 
raham for  their  father,  Matt.  iii.  9.  For  the  presumption  which 
their  extraction,  and  the  privileges  consequent  upon  it,  pro- 
duced in  their  hearts,  was  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  their 
perdition. 

Sprung  from  this  ancient  and  noble  stem,  in  covenant  with 
God,  of  which  they  bore  the  mark  in  their  flesh,  and  in  their 
external  observances,  they  supposed  salvation  must  infallibly 
be  theirs.  Vain  idea  !  which  caused  them  to  despise  the  study 
and  practice  of  the  only  true  way  which  conducteth  to  salva- 
tion. John,  therefore,  commenced  at  the  root,  and  endeavoured 
first  of  all  to  eradicate  from  their  hearts  this  foolish  and  hurt- 
ful imagination,  as  the  principal  hinderance  to  their  repentance 
and  their  happiness. 

Our  Lord  himself  spoke  also  to  the  same  effect,  showing 
them  from  the  first  the  inutility  of  those  outward  advantages, 
and  decrying  the  righteousness  of  the  Pharisees,  the  wisdom 
of  the  scribes,  and  all  that  was  then  in  the  greatest  estimation 
among  the  Jews;  so  that  the  first  lesson  he  gave  to  Nicodemus 
was,  that  if  he  would  enter  the  kingdom  of  God,  he  must  be 
born  again  ;  i.  e.,  he  must  put  away  all  those  vain  notions  in 
which  he  then  gloried,  and  present  another  mind  before  God, 
cleansed  and  purified  from  every  presumptuous  hope. 

In  fact,  the  love  and  admiration  of  these  carnal  advantages 
not  only  hindered  that  unhappy  people  from  profiting  by  the 
baptism  of  John,  but  also  prevented  their  embracing  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ.  For  besides  those  among  them  whose  opinion 
of  their  own  righteousness  kept  them  altogether  from  believ- 
ing in  Jesus,  those  even  who,  convinced  by  his  instructions, 
received  his  gospel,  were  also  for  the  most  part  desirous  of 
mixing  with  it  the  ceremonies  of  Judaism,  and  retaining  in 
the  school  of  heaven  the  rudiments  of  the  earth  ;  so  strong 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  297 

was  their  affection  for  those  things  which  birth  and  education, 
strengthened  by  habit,  had  rendered  venerable. 

It  is  against  the  advocates  of  this  dangerous  melange  that 
the  apostle  argues  in  this  chapter,  (as  you  will  remember, 
brethren,  I  mentioned  in  my  discourse  on  the  preceding  text,) 
wherein  he  prays  the  Philippians  to  beware  of  such  evil-work- 
ers, declaring  that  by  the  Spirit  of  Christ  we  have  every  ad- 
vantage which  was  vainly  sought  by  the  letter  of  Moses. 

Now,  to  give  more  weight  to  his  words,  he  shows  them  that 
it  is  not  through  envy  that  he  thus  speaks,  being  himself  as 
well  or  even  better  furnished  than  they  were,  with  all  those 
advantages  of  which  they  so  much  boasted.  For  it  sometimes 
happens  that  men,  through  extreme  vanity,  despise  the  things 
which  they  do  not  possess.  They  rail  at  and  decry  such  gifts 
as  they  are  destitute  of,  that  their  failing  in  that  respect  may 
not  detract  from  their  merit  in  the  sight  of  others. 

Paul,  to  prove  that  no  such  reasons  induced  him  to  contemn 
circumcision  and  justification  by  works  which  were  taught  by 
false  apostles,  represents  here,  in  a  forcible  manner,  that  he 
failed  in  none  of  these  things,  nay,  that  he  even  possessed  them 
in  a  hio-her  degree  than  those  did  who  esteemed  them  so 
greatly  ;  yet,  notwithstanding  the  advantages  he  appeared  to 
have,  he  is  constrained  to  declare  that,  whatever  lustre  they 
may  possess  in  the  eyes  of  flesh,  they  are  of  no  avail  before 
Jesus  Christ. 

As  when  some  learned  man,  after  having  thrown  contempt 
upon  philosophy  and  worldly  knowledge,  might  add,  to  give 
power  to  his  words,  that  it  was  not  that  he  was  unable  to  enter 
the  lists  for  the  prize  in  that  sort  of  wisdom  ;  so  Paul,  in  the 
same  manner,  after  having  strongly  repulsed  those  who  pressed 
the  observance  of  circumcision  and  other  rites,  to  demonstrate 
that  it  is  the  truth  itself,  and  not  personal  interest,  which 
prompts  him  so  to  speak,  adds  directly,  "  Though  I  might  also 
have  confidence  in  the  flesh.  If  any  other  man  thinketh  that 
he  hath  whereof  he  might  trust  in  the  flesh,  I  more."  And 
to  convince  them  that  he  boasts  not  without  reason,  he  enum- 
erates at  length  all  the  advantages  he  possessed  with  regard  to 
these  things  :  "  circumcised  the  eighth  day,  of  the  stock  of  Is- 
rael, of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  an  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews  ; 
as  touching  the  law,  a  Pharisee;  concerning  zeal,  persecuting 
the  church  ;  touching  the  righteousness  which  is  in  the  law, 
blameless."  But  after  all,  he  protests  that,  so  far  from  build- 
ing his  hopes  thereon,  "  he  considers  all  these  things  as  loss 
for  Christ,"  although,  were  he  to  follow  the  false  teachers,  he 
should  consider  them  as  gain. 

This  is  a  summary  of  the  apostle's  meaning  in  the  text  ;  and 
that  God  may  bless  it  to  your  further  instruction,  I  purpose 
to  consider  the  subject  under  three  heads  :  First,  the  declara- 
38 


298  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVIII. 

tion  of  Paul,  that  lie  had  more  than  others  whereof  he  might 
trust  in  the  flesh.  Secondly,  the  advantages  which  he  details 
at  length  respecting  the  subject  of  this  trust.  Thirdly,  his 
solemn  protestation,  that  he  counts  them  all  as  loss  for  the 
love  of  Christ. 

I.  The  apostle  had  said,  in  the  preceding  verse,  speaking  of 
himself  and  of  all  true  believers,  "  We  serve  God  in  spirit, 
rejoice  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  have  no  confidence  in  the  flesh," 
i.  e.,  (as  we  have  already  explained,)  we  lean  on  no  carnal  thing, 
Jesus  Christ  alone  being  the  object  of  our  hope  and  joy. 
When,  therefore,  he  adds,  "  Though  I  might  also  have  confi- 
dence in  the  flesh,"  it  is  evidently  as  if  he  had  said,  Although, 
with  regard  to  myself,  I  take  the  Lord  Jesus  for  my  only  joy, 
and  place  all  my  dependence  on  him,  yet  this  is  not  because  I 
am  conscious  of  being  without  those  advantages  which  the 
false  teachers  hold  in  such  high  estimation.  Were  I  inclined 
to  follow  their  doctrines,  and  like  them,  mingle  the  services 
of  flesh  and  blood  with  my  hope  in  Christ,  I  might  also  have 
whereon  to  lean  ;  for  I  have  abundance  of  those  things  on 
which  they  build  their  hopes,  and  possess  all  the  privileges 
wherein  they  find  their  joy. 

But  the  apostle  goes  even  beyond  this,  and  challenges,  not 
these  teachers  only,  (who  perhaps  really  possessed  few  of  those 
qualities  which  they  so  strongly  urged  upon  christians,)  but 
all  others,  whoever  they  might  be,  convinced  that  none  could  be 
found  possessing  as  many  of  these  external  advantages  as  him- 
self: "If  any  other  man  thinketh  that  he  hath  whereof  he 
might  trust  in  the  flesh,  I  more." 

Thus  he  ranks  himself  above  them  all,  because  they  had  no- 
thing which  he  had  not  also  (as  we  shall  presently  see)  ;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  he  possessed  many  things  in  which  they 
failed.  And  here  I  beg  you  to  remark  carefully  the  apostle's 
expression  :  he  does  not  say,  "If  any  man  have"  but,  "If  any 
man  thinketh  that  he  hath  ;"  showing  us  thereby  that  all  the 
trust  which  these  people  placed  in  carnal  things  was  but  fancy 
and  opinion,  they  being  in  reality  no  just  ground  of  confi- 
dence. 

For  it  is  evident,  and  Paul  has  explained  it  more  fully  in 
several  of  his  other  Epistles,  that  neither  circumcision,  nor  the 
observance  of  the  Mosaic  law,  nor  any  other  carnal  service, 
can  be  capable  of  justifying  man  in  the  sight  of  God  ;  so  that 
all  who  trust  in  them  are  greatly  mistaken.  Nothing  but  the 
righteousness  of  Christ  can  reconcile  us  to  God  and  shield  us 
from  the  curse.  Yet  it  was  the  will  of  the  Lord  that  this  his 
apostle,  who  so  loudly  contemned  all  trust  and  confidence  in 
the  law  or  any  external  advantage,  should  not  himself  be  want- 
ing in  any  one  of  those  things  in  which  so  many  placed  their 
confidence.     And  herein  is  made  manifest  the  wisdom  of  God; 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  299 

the  testimony  of  Paul  being  by  this  means  purified  from  all 
suspicion  or  reproach.  It  is  in  like  manner  that  he  employs 
his  pen  (1  Cor.  ix.  6,  7,)  to  recommend  to  the  flock  the  main- 
tenance of  their  pastors,  because,  having  always  supported 
himself  by  the  labour  of  his  own  hands,  and  having  never  re- 
quired assistance  from  the  churches  he  had  planted,  he  could 
treat  the  subject  without  being  suspected  of  interested  motives. 

And  for  the  same  purpose  God  often  calls  to  the  knowledge 
of  his  Son  those  who  are  gifted  with  the  things  most  esteemed 
in  the  world,  as  nobility,  riches,  learning,  talent,  whether  in 
arts  or  sciences,  and  other  similar  advantages,  in  order  that 
they  may  with  greater  authority  declare  the  vanity  of  such 
things,  and  teach  men  with  more  freedom  to  humble  themselves 
at  the  cross  of  Christ. 

And  those  believers  who  are  thus  qualified  should  not  be 
ashamed,  when  opportunities  occur,  to  detail  the  advantages 
they  possess  in  these  respects,  in  order  to  confound  the  arro- 
gance of  worldly  men  who  make  such  things  their  pride,  and 
to  show  them  that  it  is  not  through  envy  that  christians  de- 
spise them,  but  rather  from  the  dictates  of  their  conscience, 
which  can  find  no  solid  foundation  of  hope  and  assurance  but 
in  Christ  the  Lord;  all  trust  in  the  flesh  and  its  works  being 
vain  presumption. 

Paul  has  inculcated  this  by  his  example.  For  he  makes  no 
scruple  of  lowering  the  pride  of  these  false  apostles  by  enum- 
erating at  length  the  advantages  he  had  according  to  the  flesh, 
and  the  confidence  he  might  have  drawn  from  them  had  he 
been  so  inclined  ;  none  of  those  external  things  being  wanting 
in  him  in  which  these  people  so  greatly  exulted,  whether  it 
were  nobility  of  descent,  the  privilege  of  circumcision,  the  ad- 
vantages of  learning,  probity  of  manners,  or  purity  of  life. 

This  carnal  superiority  which  the  apostle  possessed  without 
trusting  in  consisted  of  seven  qualities,  and  these  we  will  now 
examine  one  after  another,  as  he  has  enumerated  them.  First, 
that  he  had  been  "  circumcised  the  eighth  clay."  Second,  that 
he  was  "  of  the  stock  of  Israel."  Third,  that  he  was  "  of  the 
tribe  of  Benjamin."  Fourth,  that  he  was  "  a  Hebrew  of  the 
Hebrews."  Fifth,  that  he  was  by  religion  "  a  Pharisee."  Sixth, 
that  he  had  been  so  zealous  for  Judaism  as  to  have  "  perse- 
cuted the  church"  of  Christ.  And  seventh  and  last,  that  his 
life,  "  touching  the  righteousness  of  the  law,  was  blameless." 

He  names  circumcision  the  first,  because  it  was  the  first  and 
most  necessary  sacrament  of  the  Jewish  people,  the  seal  of  the 
Mosaic  covenant,  the  livery,  mark,  and  glory  of  an  Israelite, 
which  separated  him  from  all  the  nations  of  the  world,  and 
was  the  principal  subject  of  controversy  between  the  apostle 
and  the  false  teachers,  who,  above  all  things,  contended  for  it, 
and  esteemed  it  essentially  necessary  to  justification.     But  he 


300  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVIII. 

also  particularly  mentions  having  received  it  on  the  eighth 
day,  i.  e.  eight  days  after  his  birth,  according  to  the  original 
institution  and  command  of  God  ;  and  this  added  greatly  to 
the  advantage  of  it  ;  for  those  proselytes  who,  from  the  dark- 
ness of  idolatry,  had  ranged  themselves  under  the  banners  of 
Judaism,  could  but  receive  circumcision  at  the  age  to  which 
they  had  attained  at  the  time  of  their  conversion,  some  in 
youth,  others  in  manhood,  and  others  again  in  old  age.  And 
although  it  was  to  them  a  great  privilege  to  be  admitted  by 
this  rite  into  communion  with  the  people  of  God,  yet  they 
could  not  glory  in  it  as  much  as  those  who  were  born  to  this 
privilege,  and  who,  from  the  eighth  day  of  their  lives,  had  been 
solemnly  consecrated  to  the  service  of  God,  and  had  worn  his 
livery  and  badge.  Although  it  was  an  honour  to  receive  cir- 
cumcision at  any  age,  it  certainly  was  the  greatest  honour  to 
receive  it  on  the  eighth  day.  For  this  cause  Paul  expressly 
mentions  it  among  other  external  advantages,  not  merely  say- 
ing that  he  was  circumcised,  but  that  he  had  been  circumcised 
the  eighth  day. 

To  this  he  adds,  secondly,  that  he  was  "of  the  stock  of 
Israel." 

To  have  received  circumcision  on  the  eighth  day  plainly 
proved  that  a  person  had  been  born  of  parents  professing  Ju- 
daism ;  but  it  did  not  prove  that  he  was  descended  from  the 
blood  of  Israel. 

The  Gentile  proselytes,  having  themselves  entered  into  com- 
munion with  God's  people,  circumcised  their  children  on  the 
eighth  day,  as  well  as  the  true  Israelites.  The  apostle  there- 
fore is  not  satisfied  with  simply  saying  that  he  had  been  cir- 
cumcised the  eighth  day  :  he  goes  beyond  this,  adding,  that  he 
was  of  the  race  of  Israel,  to  show  the  nobility  and  purity  of 
his  extraction,  that  his  blood  was  unmingled  with  that  of 
Gentiles,  being  derived  from  the  ancient  and  illustrious  root 
of  Jacob,  the  patriarch  of  the  Jewish  nation,  and  to  which  he 
had  given  name  ;  that  people  (as  you  know)  calling  themselves 
the  "  children  of  Israel,"  from  the  surname  given  to  Jacob  by 
the  Almighty,  as  a  token  of  blessing,  on  the  memorable  night 
that  he  had  wrestled  with  him.  This  was  the  great  privilege 
of  the  Jews,  and  that  on  which  they  set  the  highest  value  ;  for 
with  regard  to  circumcision,  observance  of  the  law,  zeal  for 
religion,  the  light  of  knowledge,  purity  of  life,  and  other 
things  of  a  like  nature,  the  proselytes  might  equal  them  ;  nay, 
they  sometimes  greatly  surpassed  them  in  these  respects,  and 
their  history  furnishes  several  examples  of  such  being  the 
case  ;  but  this  nobility  of  descent  was  peculiar  to  the  Jews, 
and  no  foreigner  could  contest  this  advantage  with  them. 

And  if  we  consider  the  subject  in  itself,  without  prejudice, 
we  cannot  deny  that  the  advantages  after  the  flesh  were  great. 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  301 

For  with  regard  to  antiquity,  which  is  generally  esteemed  one 
of  the  most  essential  qualifications  of  nobility,  there  was  then, 
and  there  is  now,  no  family  in  the  whole  human  race  so  noble 
as  that  of  the  Jews,  who  could  show  their  genealogy  clearly 
and  distinctly  from  Adam  to  themselves,  that  is,  for  upwards 
of  four  thousand  years  ;  whereas  all  those  grand  and  illustrious 
families  who  flourished  among  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  or  who 
flourish  now  in  Christendom  or  elsewhere,  are  supposed  to 
have  fully  established  their  noble  descent,  if  they  can  reckon 
back  for  seven  or  eight  hundred  years  ;  and  even  the  proudest 
and  highest  cannot  trace  much  further  than  that. 

But  if  we  consider  the  qualities  of  their  ancestors,  which 
are  the  principal  foundations  of  true  nobility,  who  can  be 
compared  to  the  Jews  ?  Descended  from  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  at  once  the  elect,  the  anointed,  the  holy  prophets  of 
God,  the  most  noble  and  illustrious  persons  of  antiquity  ! 
Whereas  the  genealogy  of  most  other  families  is  drawn  from 
foul  and  disgraceful  sources,  from  the  blood  of  a  barbarian  or 
an  idolater,  sometimes  even  from  a  robber  or  a  monster,  cele- 
brated more  for  his  vices  than  his  virtues. 

Though,  however,  this  true  nobility  of  descent  belonged 
originally  to  all  the  race  of  Israel,  yet  it  had  not  preserved 
itself  equally  pure  among  the  several  families  who  had  issued 
from  that  root.  For  this  reason  the  apostle,  after  having  said 
that  he  was  of  the  stock  of  Israel,  particularly  signifies  the 
tribe  to  which  he  belonged,  "of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin."  For 
I  do  not  think  he  would  have  added  this,  except  to  show  by 
his  family  the  purity  of  his  extraction. 

It  seems  that  he  mentions  the  circumstance  in  order  to  dis- 
tinguish his  blood  from  the  pollutions  in  which  great  part  of 
that  of  Jacob  was  involved.  For  of  the  twelve  tribes  which 
sprang  from  him  ten  had  sadly  degenerated,  soiling  the  honour 
of  their  nobility  by  their  vices,  plunging  into  idolatry,  and 
separating  themselves  from  the  communion  of  the  ark  and 
temple  of  God  ;  for  which  they  had  been  afterwards,  by  the 
just  anger  of  Jehovah,  transported  into  Assyria,  where  they 
had  for  the  most  part  lost  the  purity  of  their  extraction  by  in- 
termarriages with  the  Gentiles. 

The  apostle  therefore  shows,  that  it  is  not  on  that  side  that 
he  is  descended  from  Jacob,  but  from  the  family  of  Benjamin, 
illustrious  among  his  people,  not  only  for  having  had  the 
honour  of  giving  the  first  king  to  Israel,  but  still  more  so  for 
having  preserved  in  itself,  in  conjunction  with  Judah  and  Levi, 
the  purity  of  divine  worship,  at  the  time  when  the  ten  tribes, 
revolting  from  the  house  of  David,  gave  themselves  up  to  the 
idolatry  of  the  golden  calves,  established  by  the  rebel  Jero- 
boam in  Dan  and  Bethel. 

Thus  you  see  that  the  apostle's  extraction  was  very  noble, 


302  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XVIII 

he  being  not  only  of  the  most  ancient  and  illustrious  nation  in 
the  world,  but  also  of  one  of  the  purest  and  most  esteemed 
tribes  in  that  nation. 

But  he  continues,  "  an  Hebrew  of  the  Hebrews."  This  name 
of  Hebrew  (as  you  know)  was  especially  given  to  the  people 
of  Israel,  and  still  continues  to  be  one  of  the  most  common 
appellations  of  the  Jews  ;  although  it  appears  that  originally 
the  Chaldeans  applied  the  word  to  all  those  nations  who  in- 
habited the  countries  beyond  the  Euphrates;  and  that  the 
Egyptians  gave  them  the  same  appellation  for  a  like  cause, 
namely,  that  they  dwelt  beyond  the  rivers  that  separated 
Egypt  from  other  lands  ;  and  if  you  attentively  consider  those 
passages  in  Genesis  where  the  word  "  Hebrew"  is  employed, 
you  will  easily  perceive  that  it  signifies  literally  "  one  who 
dwells  beyond  the  waters."  The  posterity  of  Jacob,  however, 
having  afterwards  occupied  the  country  of  Canaan,  the  inha- 
bitants of  which  were  called  Hebrews,  the  word  began  to  be 
applied  to  the  Israelites,  and  in  process  of  time  became  the 
appellation  of  the  nation.  So  also  the  language  spoken  by  the 
Jews  during  their  occupation  of  Canaan,  and  in  which  the  Old 
Testament,  both  the  law  and  the  prophets,  (except  two  or  three 
chapters  of  Daniel,)  was  written,  is  called,  as  well  by  ancient 
as  by  modern  authors,  "  the  Hebrew." 

Thus,  therefore,  the  apostle,  by  styling  himself  "  an  Hebrew 
of  the  Hebrews,"  signifies  that  he  was  a  Jew  by  lineage  from 
father  to  son  ;  not  having  partaken  of  this  privilege  by  adop- 
tion or  the  conversion  of  his  forefathers,  but  by  a  regular  and 
uninterrupted  descent  from  that  first  ancient  and  noble  stem 
from  which  his  ancestors  themselves  had  sprung. 

After  having  thus  shown  the  dignity  of  his  extraction,  he 
declares,  fifthly,  his  profession  or  sect  in  the  Jewish  church, 
saying  that  he  was  "  by  religion  a  Pharisee."  In  the  original, 
"  as  touching  the  law,  a  Pharisee." 

Now  it  appears  that  the  word  "  law  "  in  this  passage  would 
denote  a  sect,  order,  or  profession,  such  as  the  order  of  monks, 
or  the  societies  of  men  or  women  that  are  found  in  the  church 
of  Rome,  and  the  word  is  often  used  thus  in  our  common  con- 
versation. Thus,  when  the  apostle  was  brought  before  the 
assembly  of  the  chief  priests  and  elders  at  Jerusalem,  he  cried 
aloud,  "I  am  a  Pharisee,  the  son  of  a  Pharisee,"  Acts  xxiii.  6 ; 
and  afterwards,  when  pleading  his  cause  before  Festus  and 
Agrippa  at  Cesarea,  he  said,  in  like  manner,  that  all  the  Jews 
knew  that  "  from  his  youth  up,  after  the  straitest  sect  of  their 
religion,  he  had  lived  a  Pharisee,"  Acts  xxvi.  5.  In  another 
place  also,  (Acts  xxii.  3,)  he  declares  that,  in  order  to  be  better 
instructed  in  their  doctrines,  he  had  been  sent  in  childhood 
from  Tarsus  in  Cilicia,  his  native  city,  to  Jerusalem,  where  he 
had  been  educated  "at  the  feet,"  that  is  to  say,  in  the  doctrines 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  303 

and  discipline  "  of  Gamaliel,"  a  Jewish  doctor  of  high  estima- 
tion. From  these  and  several  other  parts  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, you  will  perceive  that  the  Pharisees  were  at  that  time  a 
sect  of  great  repute  among  the  Jews,  and  generally  the  most 
esteemed  of  any,  as  you  would  now  describe  the  order  of 
Jesuits  in  the  Romish  communion,  except  that  the  Pharisees 
did  not  dwell  together  in  convents,  but  had  their  own  houses 
and  establishments  like  other  citizens  ;  at  the  same  time  com- 
posing one  body,  holding  the  same  doctrines,  living  under  the 
same  discipline,  and  sustaining  and  assisting  one  another  as 
much  as  possible. 

It  was  about  a  hundred  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ  that 
three  sects  arose  among  the  Jews  :  the  Pharisees,  the  Essenes, 
and  the  Sadducees.  No  mention  is  made  of  the  Essenes  in  the 
New  Testament  scriptures,  partly  because  there  was  scarcely 
any  difference  between  their  doctrines  and  those  of  the  Phari- 
sees ;  and  partly  because  they  lived  retired  in  distant  places, 
having  but  little  intercourse  with  the  world.  But  the  other 
two  sects  dwelt  in  cities,  in  the  society  of  enlightened  men, 
taking  part  in  civil  as  well  as  in  ecclesiastical  affairs. 

The  Sadducees  (as  we  learn  from  the  writings  of  the  New 
Testament,  from  Josephus,  and  other  Jewish  authors)  held 
most  extravagant  opinions,  boldly  denying  a  resurrection  and 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  even  the  existence  of  angel 
or  spirit,  Acts  xxiii.  8. 

The  Pharisees  also  maintained  some  dangerous  errors,  but 
at  the  same  time  they  held  the  fundamental  truths  of  scripture, 
believing  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  and  the  resurrection  of 
the  body  ;  neither  is  there  any  proof  of  their  having  taught 
(as  some  modern  writers  allege)  the  transmigration  of  the  soul 
after  death.  Thus  they  easily  gained  the  ascendency  over  the 
Essenes  by  the  greater  refinement  of  their  life,  and  over  the 
Sadducees  by  the  greater  purity  of  their  doctrine  ;  to  which 
must  be  added,  by  their  extraordinary  profession  of  sanctity, 
which  tinctured  all  their  conversation  and  manners. 

To  this  outward  profession  the  scriptures  relate,  when  they 
inform  us  that  they  "  made  wide  their  phylacteries,  and  en- 
larged the  borders  of  their  garments,"  Matt,  xxiii.  5,  &c;  (i.  e., 
they  wore  on  their  foreheads  and  on  the  edge  of  their  robes 
wide  pieces  of  parchment,  on  which  were  written  certain  texts 
from  the  law  or  the  prophets  ;  and  this  is  still  a  Jewish  custom  ;) 
that  they  washed  often  and  carefully  their  persons,  their  uten- 
sils, and  their  furniture;  that  they  fasted  twice  a  week,  and 
gave  tithes  most  scrupulously  of  all  they  possessed,  even  of  the 
smallest  herbs  of  the  garden,  as  mint  and  cummin  ;  that  they 
built  and  superbly  adorned  the  sepulchres  of  the  prophets  ;  and 
that  they  would  compass  sea  and  land  to  make  one  proselyte. 
"We  learn  also  from  other  sources,  that  the  devotees  among 


304  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVIII. 

them  slept  on  very  narrow  planks,  or  upon  gravel,  and  that 
they  fastened  thorns  under  their  garments,  which  pricked  their 
heels  and  ankles  in  walking  so  as  even  to  draw  blood. 

This  austere  manner  of  life,  indicating  so  much  zeal  and 
sanctity,  procured  for  them  the  name  of  Pharisee,  which  signi- 
nifies,  a  person  separated  and  withdrawn  from  the  world  ;  with 
which  indeed  they  professed  to  have  nothing  in  common,  hav- 
ing entirely  withdrawn  from  the  vices  of  the  multitude;  call- 
ing them  in  contempt,  people  of  the  earth,  shunning  their  society, 
and  even  considering  themselves  unclean  if  they  had  been  ac- 
cidentally touched  by  one  of  them. 

It  was  to  this  refined  sect  that  Paul  belonged,  both  by  birth 
and  education.  But  if  his  ancestors  and  preceptors  had  on 
their  part  given  him  a  birth  and  education  propitious  to  Juda- 
ism, he  also,  on  his  part,  had  so  diligently  applied  himself  to 
profit  by  the  advantages  he  thus  possessed,  that  he  had  arrived 
at  the  highest  possible  perfection  of  a  Pharisee. 

And  this  he  shows  in  the  two  last  clauses  of  the  account 
which  he  is  here  giving  of  himself,  by  adding  that,  "  concern- 
ing zeal  he  had  persecuted  the  church,"  and  that,  "  touching 
the  righteousness  of  the  law,  he  had  been  blameless." 

With  regard  to  the  first,  we  are  informed  by  Luke,  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  that  Paul  took  part  in  the  murder  of  the 
blessed  martyr  of  Christ,  Stephen  ;  and  that  afterwards,  "breath- 
ing out  threatenings  and  slaughter,"  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
persecution  of  the  christians,  and  left  Jerusalem  with  letters 
from  the  high  priest  empowering  him  to  carry  thither  as  pri- 
soners all  the  disciples  of  Christ  whom  he  should  find  in  Da- 
mascus and  its  neighbourhood.  He  has  himself  also  often  re- 
lated this  sad  story:  speaking  in  the  assembly  of  the  Jews, 
(Acts  xxii.  3,  4,)  he  says,  "Being  zealous  toward  God,  as  ye  all 
are  this  day,  I  persecuted  this  way  (Christianity)  unto  the  death, 
binding  and  delivering  into  prisons  both  men  and  women." 
Again,  pleading  before  Agrippa,  (Acts  xxvi.  9 — 11,)  he  thus 
speaks,  "  I  verily  thought  with  myself  that  I  ought  to  do  many 
things  contrary  to  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Which 
thing  I  also  did  in  Jerusalem  :  and  many  of  the  saints  did  I 
shut  up  in  prison,  having  received  authority  from  the  chief 
priests  ;  and  when  they  were  put  to  death,  I  gave  my  voice 
against  them.  And  I  punished  them  oft  in  every  synagogue, 
and  compeliedjihem  to  blaspheme;  and  being  exceedingly  mad 
against  them,  I  persecuted  them  even  unto  strange  cities." 

He  also  tells  the  Galatians,  in  the  commencement  of  his 
Epistle  to  them,  that  he  had  "  persecuted  and  wasted  the  church 
of  God  beyond  measure,  having  been  exceedingly  zealous  of 
the  traditions  of  the  fathers,"  Gal.  i.  13.  Again,  writing  to 
Timothy,  he  acknowledges  that  he  was  once  a  blasphemer,  a 
persecutor,  and  an  oppressor,  1  Tim.  i.'  13  ;  on  which  account 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  305 

it  is  that  he  speaks  of  himself  to  the  Corinthians  with  such 
deep  humility,  saying  that  he  is  unworthy  to  be  called  an  apos- 
tle, because  of  having  persecuted  the  church  of  God. 

He  mentions  it  in  our  text  to  prove  his  extreme  devotion  to 
Judaism  ;  and  as  he  himself  calls  persecution  a  "  blasphemy," 
a  "  wasting,"  a  "  ravaging,"  of  the  church  of  God,  he  highly 
condemns  it,  and  witnesses  against  himself  that  he  had  griev- 
ously sinned  in  this  respect.  Therefore  it  is  not  his  intention 
here  to  class  it  among  good  and  praiseworthy  actions.  He  al- 
leges it  solely  as  an  incontestable  proof  of  his  zeal  for  the  hon- 
our of  Judaism  ;  a  blind  zeal,  certainly,  and  not  "  according  to 
knowledge,"  but  nevertheless  ardent,  and  clearly  showing  the 
sincerity  with  which  he  had  formerly  undertaken  the  defence 
of  his  religion.  The  false  teachers  against  whom  he  argues 
were  satisfied  if  circumcision  were  retained,  and  Moses  were 
made  a  companion  of  Christ.  But  Paul  had  gone  much  fur- 
ther, desiring  Moses  to  reign  alone,  and  fiercely  overturning 
everything  that  opposed  his  empire  in  such  a  manner,  that  if 
there  were  any  profit  or  glory  to  be  expected  from  having  zeal 
for  Judaism,  it  is  evident  that  Paul  in  this  respect  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  these  pretended  upholders  of  Moses. 

Lastly,  he  adds,  that  whatever  might  have  been  his  zeal  for 
the  religion  of  his  forefathers,  the  purity  of  his  life  and  conver- 
sation was  in  the  same  proportion.  For  it  often  happens  that 
enthusiasts,  under  the  boiling  of  their  zeal,  conceal  a  very  ir- 
regular life,  and  shamefully  violate,  every  day,  the  laws  and 
regulations  of  that  religion,  the  name  and  outward  forms  of 
which  they  are  defending  with  so  much  warmth.  There  are 
in  history  many  examples  of  this,  and  especially  among  the 
Jewish  people.  At  the  last  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  how 
many  wretched  men  were  there,  trampling  under  foot  every 
law,  human  and  divine,  and  leading  the  most  execrable  lives 
possible  ;  at  the  very  time  that  they  were  such  zealots  for  the 
name  and  temple  of  Jehovah,  as  to  be  resolved  to  endure  to  the 
last  extremity,  in  his  cause!  But  the  apostle  must  not  be 
classed  with  such  fanatics.  He  had  been  a  Jew  in  truth  and 
sincerity,  and  in  the  midst  of  his  zeal  against  Christianity  had 
observed  with  such  strictness  all  that  was  enjoined  by  his  re- 
ligion, that  he  can  boldly  say  in  our  text,  "  touching  the  right- 
eousness which  is  in  the  law,  blameless." 

What  then,  (you  will  perhaps  say,)  while  Paul  lived  a  Phar- 
isee, an  alien  from  the  grace  of  Christ,  had  he  so  fulfilled  all 
the  righteousness  prescribed  to  us  in  the  law,  that  he  can  be  re- 
proached with  nothing  in  that  respect  ?  Did  he  fail  in  no 
point  in  that  righteousness  which  the  law  demands  of  men  ? 
Dear  brethren,  I  answer,  that  by  "  the  righteousness  which  is 
in  the  law"  he  intends,  and  it  is  a  common  mode  of  expression 
in  the  sacred  writings,  all  the  righteousness  that  is  hy  the  law  ; 
39 


306  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVIII. 

that  is  to  say,  as  much  as  the  law  could  work  in  any  man,  even 
in  the  best  and  most  advanced  among  the  Pharisees  ;  and  this 
is  so  far  from  being  perfect,  or  even  from  being  a  step  towards 
admission  into  grace,  that  Jesus  himself  said,  "  Except  your 
righteousness  exceed  the  righteousness  of  the  Scribes  and  Phar- 
isees, ye  shall  in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

As  for  the  righteousness  contained  in  the  law,  which  consists 
of  a  perfect  love  to  God,  a  perfect  charity  towards  our  neigh- 
bour, and  an  innocence  and  holiness  of  life  maintained  in  every 
point,  neither  Paul  nor  any  other  Pharisee  has  ever  possessed 
it  ;  as  this  great  apostle  himself  has  clearly  shown  in  several 
places  ;  but  especially  in  the  7th  chapter  of  his  Epistle  to  the 
Romans.  And  if  any  man  ever  had  possessed  this  righteous- 
ness, that  man  would  have  been  justified  by  the  law,  (which  is 
absolutely  impossible,)  and  would  have  had  no  need  of  Christ, 
without  whom  we  are  told  we  can  do  nothing.  These  words 
of  the  apostle  have  the  same  signification  as  in  Rom.  ii.  14, 
where  he  says,  "the  Gentiles  do  by  nature  the  things  contained 
in  the  law  ;"  that  is,  not  the  things  commanded  by  the  law,  as, 
to  love  God  with  all  the  heart,  and  our  neighbour  as  ourselves, 
(for  how  could  the  Gentiles  do  those  things  naturally  which 
the  Jews  themselves  were  never  able  to  accomplish  ?)  but  all 
that  which  the  law  does  for  its  disciples  ;  restraining  and  brid- 
ling their  outward  man  ;  leading  them  to  the  admiration  and 
study  of  virtue  ;  and,  in  fact,  accusing  or  excusing  them  in  the 
secret  recesses  of  their  hearts  :  and  this  the  apostle  calls  the 
work  of  the  law  ;  because  it  is  what  the  law  does  in  us,  and  not 
what  the  law  prescribes  to  us  :  so  he  also,  in  the  text,  speaks 
of  the  righteousness  which  is  in  or  by  the  law, — not  merely 
that  which  the  law  commands,  but  that  which  it  works  in  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  its  disciples. 

This  then  is  the  righteousness  of  which  Paul  boasts;  mean- 
ing to  say  that  he  had  shown  forth  in  his  former  life  and  char- 
acter all  those  good  qualities  which  the  profession  of  Pharisee- 
ism  required  ;  and  that  he  could  not  be  reproached  with  having 
failed  in  one  duty  which  his  sect  considered  to  be  prescribed 
by  the  law  of  God. 

Thus  it  appears  how  truly  the  apostle  spoke,  in  saying  that 
if  any  man  might  trust  in  the  flesh,  it  would  be  himself,  since 
he  possessed  every  advantage  that  was  a  ground  of  trust: 
whether  by  birth,  as  a  free  Israelite,  of  the  blood  of  Jacob,  of 
the  tribe  of  Benjamin  ;  whether  by  instruction,  having  been 
circumcised  on  the  eighth  day,  and  educated  in  Phariseeism, 
the  most  celebrated  sect  among  the  Jews  ;  whether  by  devotion 
to  the  cause,  having  been  zealous  even  to  the  persecuting  of 
the  church,  and  observant  of  every  legal  rite,  so  as  to  have  ac- 
quired a  character  without  reproach.  "But  (says  he)  what 
things  were  gain  to  me,  those  I  counted  loss  for  Christ."     So 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  307 

far  frqtfi  building  my  hopes  on  these  carnal  advantages,  in 
which  the  false  teachers  place  their  glory,  I  despise  them  all 
since  I  have  known  and  tasted  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  and  now  con- 
sider them,  not  merely  as  useless,  but  as  hurtful  to  my  salva- 
tion. , 

II.  This  is  the  concluding  verse  of  the  text,  in  which  the 
apostle  mentions  two  things  :  first,  that  these  prerogatives  that 
he  had  in  Judaism,  and  of  which  he  had  just  spoken,  "were  gain 
to  him,"  or  rather,  had  been  gain  to  him  ;  and,  secondly,  that  for 
the  "  love  of  Christ  he  had  counted  them  as  loss."  As  for  the 
first,  I  must  acknowledge  that  it  Was  no  small  step  towards  sal- 
vation to  be  born  in  Israel,  of  the  blood  of  the  patriarchs,  and  to 
be  nourished  and  instructed  from  childhood  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  divine  law  ;  which  was  to  the  church  in  its  infancy  as  a  school- 
master, and  an  excellent  means  of  bringing  men  to  Christ  :  and 
the  apostle  elsewhere  says,  that  "the  advantage  of  the  Jew,  and 
the  profit  of  circumcision,  were  great  every  way,  but  chiefly  be- 
cause that  unto  them  were  committed  the  oracles  of  God,"  Rom. 
iii.  1  ;  which  grace  had  not  been  given  to  other  nations,  as  the 
psalmist  tells  us,  Psal.  cxlvii.  20.  And  they  to  whom  the  law 
had  rendered  this  good  office  of  preparing  and  bringing  them 
to  Christ,  as  Simeon,  and  Nathaniel,  and  many  others,  could 
truly  say  that  it  had  been  gain  to  them,  being  born  in  Israel, 
and  circumcised,  and  instructed  in  the  school  of  the  law.  But 
this  is  not  the  case  here.  For  the  instruction  that  Paul  had 
had  in  the  law  was  mixed  with  the  leaven  of  Phariseeism  ; 
his  mind  was  puffed  up  with  his  own  merit,  and  his  zeal  was 
full  of  rage  against  the  Christ  of  God.  How,  then  could  he 
say  that  these  things  were  gain  to  him?  Dear  brethren,  I 
maintain  that  the  apostle  does  not  say  this  literally  and  abso- 
lutely. God  forbid  that  he  should  !  for  this  would,  by  one 
stroke  of  his  pen,  efface  all  the  truth  of  his  doctrine,  which 
everywhere  declares  that  there  is  nothing  so  opposed  to  salva- 
tion as  the  leaven  of  the  Pharisees  and  the  presumption  of 
merit.  Nor  is  there  anything  so  abhorrent  to  God  or  so  per- 
nicious to  men  as  the  persecution  of  Christ  and  his  members. 
But  he  here  speaks  according  to  the  notions  he  had  formerly 
held  on  this  subject  in  his  blindness  and  error,  and  according 
to  the  ideas  of  the  false  teachers  against  whom  he  is  arguing. 
They  "  were  gain  to  me,"  that  is,  in  my  opinion  ;  and  with  this 
idea  I  gloried  in  them,  and  imagined  that  on  them  my  salva- 
tion depended. 

For  this  was  in  reality  the  doctrine  of  the  Pharisees.  They 
placed  their  hopes  and  their  happiness  in  these  carnal  advan- 
tages ;  in  being  the  seed  of  Abraham  and  the  disciples  of 
Moses;  and  considered  the  furious  zeal  which  they  had  for  the 
law  as  one  of  their  highest  merits,  imagining  that  they  did 
God  service  in  persecuting  the  christians.     And  all  this  would 


308  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XVIII. 

have  "been  gain  to  the  apostle  had  he  continued  in  Judajpm,  as 
the  false  teachers  supposed  he  ought  to  have  done.  For  by 
this  he  would  (according  to  their  view)  have  obtained  favour 
with  God  and  men  ;  he  would  have  preserved  the  good-will  of 
his  nation,  and  acquired  reputation  and  esteem  among  his 
countrymen  by  passing  for  one  of  their  most  accomplished 
and  learned  doctors.  But  he  protests,  however  advantageous 
these  things  might  have  been  to  me  after  the  flesh,  "  I  count 
them  loss  for  Christ." 

III.  "When  once  the  Lord  had  enlightened  his  mind,  and  de- 
livered his  eyes  from  the  thick  scales  of  ignorance  which  for- 
merly covered  them,  he  became  altogether  changed  in  judg- 
ment and  temper.  He  saw  that  that  Jesus  whom  he  had  so 
fiercely  persecuted  was  the  Lord  of  glory,  the  Prince  of  peace, 
the  everlasting  Father,  the  only  author  and  giver  of  grace. 
He  saw  in  him  truth,  righteousness,  and  salvation  for  men, 
treasures  of  divine  mercy,  and  the  plenitude  of  the  Godhead. 
Satisfied  with  so  precious  and  perfect  a  gift,  he  condemns  his 
former  errors,  and  renounces  with  all  his  heart  all  those  petty 
advantages  of  birth  and  education  which  he  had  heretofore  so 
much  admired,  and  resolves,  like  the  merchant  in  the  parable, 
to  acquire,  by  the  loss  of  all  he  possessed,  the  inestimable 
jewel  that  was  to  be  found  in  Christ.  He  is  so  in  love  with 
this  treasure,  that  he  not  only  leaves  all  he  had,  but  hates  all 
for  its  sake.  He  does  not  merely  confess  that  he  can  draw 
no  profit  from  his  former  merits,  but  complains  that  they  are 
hurtful  to  him  ;  that  they  have  kept  him  long  in  ignorance, 
and  have  prevented  him  from  earlier  enjoying  peace  through 
Christ  ;  that  they  increased  his  furious  zeal,  and  soiled  his 
hands  with  the  precious  blood  of  his  sovereign  Lord.  For 
although  this  last  had  been  done  in  ignorance,  he  never  ceased 
to  remember  it  with  horror,  and  to  reckon  it  the  greatest  mis- 
fortune that  had  ever  occurred  to  him.  Thus  Paul  is  to  be  un- 
derstood, when  he  declares,  "what  things  were  gain  to  me, 
those  I  counted  loss  for  Christ." 

But,  O  holy  apostle,  elect  instrument  of  God,  that  which 
was  loss  to  thee  has  proved  gain  to  us  ;  and  it  was  for  our 
profit  that  the  gracious  Lord,  who  had  separated  thee  from  thy 
mother's  womb,  did  permit  thee  to  enter  so  deeply  into  Juda- 
ism, and  to  remain  for  so  long  a  period  out  of  his  true  church, 
that  so  thy  testimony  concerning  it  might  be  the  more  effica- 
cious to  us.  Certainly,  dear  brethren,  the  testimony  of  the 
other  apostles  respecting  the  resurrection  and  divinity  of  our 
Lord  is  authentic  and  worthy  of  belief,  and  whoever  calmly 
considers  it  must  be  constrained  to  confess  that  their  witness 
is  true.  But  the  testimony  of  Paul  is  stronger.  For  with 
what  can  infidelity  reproach  him  ?  Can  it  say  that  he  was  an 
ignorant  person,  easily  duped  in  that  which  respects  religion  ? 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  309 

He  was  a  Pharisee  from  his  birth  ;  instructed  in  the  school  of 
the  first  master  of  his  age  and  sect  ;  and  very  learned  in  all 
the  traditions  and  doctrines  of  the  Jews,  as  his  writings 
clearly  prove.  Was  it  intimacy  with  Jesus,  and  friendship 
for  him,  that  induced  him  to  uphold  his  religion  ?  He  had 
never  seen  him  during  his  life,  and,  after  his  death,  far  from 
loving  or  favouring,  he  had  outrageously  persecuted  him. 
And  yet,  behold  him  stopping  suddenly  in  the  midst  of  his 
career  of  rage  and  fury,  changed  in  a  moment,  adoring  him  whom 
he  had  blasphemed,  preaching  him  whom  he  had  persecuted, 
continuing  several  years  in  this  new  faith,  and  at  length  dying 
for  him  whom  he  had  formerly  so  often  slain  in  his  members. 

What  could  have  caused  so  wonderful  a  change?  What 
could  have  snatched  from  Judaism  so  obstinate  a  Pharisee  ?  so 
attached  to  his  sect  by  birth,  education,  reputation,  interest, 
manner  of  life  ?  What  could  have  broken  in  one  moment  so 
many  ties  ?  What  could  have  drawn  forth  from  that  heart  and 
mouth,  hitherto  sending  out  fire  and  flames  against  Jesus, 
praise  and  adoration  of  him  ?  Dear  brethren,  it  could  have 
been  nothing  less  than  the  truth  itself,  manifested  to  him  by 
an  Almighty  hand,  (as  he  himself  often  and  fully  declares,)  ar- 
resting and  converting  him  on  his  way  to  Damascus. 

Let  us  then  embrace  this  divine  Saviour  whom  he  so  elo- 
quently preaches  to  us.  Let  us  be  converted  with  this  happy 
Pharisee.  Let  us  believe,  on  the  testimony  of  so  authentic  a 
witness,  that  Jesus  is  in  heaven  crowned  with  glory  and  hon- 
our ;  that  he  is  truly  the  Son  of  God,  the  end  and  object  of  the 
law,  the  salvation  of  Jews  and  Gentiles,  the  true  circumcision, 
the  root  and  offspring  of  David,  the  propitiation  for  sin,  the 
peace  of  the  conscience,  the  light  of  the  understanding,  the 
wisdom  of  the  heart,  the  author  of  the  justification,  holiness, 
rest,  resurrection,  and  immortality  of  all  believers.  Dear 
brethren,  let  us  render  to  him  the  homage  due  to  his  majesty. 
Let  nothing  separate  us  from  fellowship  with  him.  Let  us  be 
zealous  for  his  glory.  Never  let  us  suffer  anything  whatever 
to  divide  with  him  our  confidence  and  hope.  Let  us  serve  him 
only,  as  he  only  has  redeemed  us.  However  useful  and  advan- 
tageous a  thing  may  appear,  let  it  be  as  loss  to  us,  or  even  as 
a  calamity,  if  it  be  prejudicial  to  the  interest  of  Christ.  Never 
let  us  purchase  ease,  or  peace,  or  even  life  itself,  at  his  ex- 
pense. Let  us  rather  hate  and  despise  all  things  for  love  of 
him.  Let  that  which  is  gain  become  loss  to  us,  if  hurtful  in 
the  smallest  degree  to  his  service  and  glory.  Nobility  of  birth, 
abundance  of  riches,  the  hononr  of  our  reputation,  the  excel- 
lence of  learning,  the  friendship  of  those  among  whom  we 
dwell  ;  all  these  I  confess  are  great  advantages.  But  if  they 
estrange  you  from  fellowship  and  communion  with  Christ,  if 
they  hinder  you  in  the  heavenly  race,  regard  them  as  losses, 


310  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIX. 

as  misfortunes.  Do  not  hesitate  to  renounce  them,  and  gener- 
ously sacrifice  this  vain-glory  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  as  did 
Paul  the  Pharisee.  Hold  nothing  so  dear  but  that  you  can 
quit  it  with  alacrity  for  so  good  a  Master.  Kemember  that 
in  reality  there  is  nothing  good,  nothing  useful  without  him  ; 
that  all  that  men  worship,  out  of  him,  whether  it  be  grandeur, 
or  science,  or  morality,  or  even  the  deepest  and  warmest  devo- 
tion, is  incapable  of  turning  away  from  us  the  curse  of  God, 
or  of  bringing  us  to  his  heavenly  kingdom. 

May  the  Lord  himself  impress  these  sentiments  deeply  on 
our  hearts,  so  that  faithfully  serving  him  in  this  life,  we  may 
dwell  with  him  in  life  everlasting.    Amen. 


SERMON  XIX. 

VERSE   8 


Tea  doubtless,  and  I  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency 
of  the  hiowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord:  for  whom  I  have 
suffered  the  loss  of  all  things,  and  do  count  them  but  dung,  that 
I  may  win  Christ. 

Dear  brethren,  in  order  to  be  truly  wise,  it  is  not  sufficient 
to  be  able  merely  to  distinguish  between  good  things  and  bad  ; 
we  must  also  discern  the  difference  that  exists  among  things 
that  are  good,  so  as  to  set  each  at  its  real  value,  and  esteem 
those  the  most  which  are  the  most  excellent  :  and  it  is  in  this 
sense  that  many  understand  the  apostle,  when  he  desires  for 
the  Philippians  that  they  "  may  approve  (or  discern)  things 
that  are  excellent,"  Phil.  i.  10.  For  if  you  consider  this  mat- 
ter, you  will  perceive  that  the  weakness  of  being  unable  to  re- 
ject the  lesser  good  for  the  greater,  is  the  cause  of  almost  all 
the  miseries  of  men.  They  have  less  difficulty  in  discerning 
good  from  evil,  because  of  the  immense  difference  between 
them.  But  when  two  things  that  are  good  present  themselves, 
the  desire  of  possessing  both  perplexes  their  judgment  to  that 
degree,  that  they  are  unable  to  resolve  to  quit  the  less  that 
they  may  win  the  greater  ;  and  instead  of  this  generous  reso- 
lution, they  continually,  though  uselessly,  endeavour  to  find 
means  whereby  they  may  keep  both  the  one  and  the  other. 
From  whence  it  frequently  happens  that  they  lose  the  whole, 
because  they  were  not  satisfied  with  the  better  part  ;  like 
the  merchant,  who  could  not  resolve  to  save  his  life  dur- 
ing a  storm  by  throwing  the  cargo  of  his  vessel  into  the  sea, 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  311 

and  therefore  lost  his  vessel  and  his  life  together.  In  how 
many  countries  and  families  does  this  error  cause  disasters 
daily  !  But  who  can  enumerate  the  evils  it  produces  in  religion, 
the  most  important  object  of  our  life  !  It  is  this  that  causes 
the  destruction  of  the  lukewarm,  of  the  Nicodemuses,  (com- 
monly so  called,)  of  all  who  would  fain  possess  both  earth  and 
heaven,  both  flesh  and  spirit,  and,  in  fact,  of  the  greater  part  of 
those  that  perish.  It  is  this  that  suggests  to  them  all  those 
pernicious  expedients  which  they  adopt  to  their  own  ruin,  fan- 
cying they  can,  by  these  means,  be  exempted  from  the  losses 
and  troubles  to  which  the  gospel  subjects  them,  and  can  at 
once  maintain  peace  with  God  and  with  the  world. 

It  was  the  same  error  which  disturbed  in  its  infancy  the 
christian  church,  from  the  endeavours  of  some  within  it  to 
mingle  Judaism  with  Christianity.  It  was  not  that  they  hated 
or  despised  Christ,  but  that  they  did  not  esteem  and  love  him 
sufficiently.  If  they  had  thoroughly  recognized  his  sovereign 
excellence,  they  would  have  been  contented  with  him,  and 
would  have  found  in  him  so  full  a  satisfying  of  every  desire, 
that  they  would  have  wished  for  no  other  good.  For  this  rea- 
son, Paul,  in  the  text,  to  guard  the  Philippians  from  this  error, 
shows  them  the  estimation  in  which  they  should  hold  the  Sa- 
viour; and  having  already  detailed  all  the  advantages  which 
he  possessed  according  to  the  flesh,  he  adds,  that  these  things, 
however  great  they  might  appear,  yet,  considered  in  them- 
selves, must  vanish  before  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  Je- 
sus ;  and  that,  compared  with  the  blessings  the  Saviour 
bestows  on  his  servants,  they  lose  their  value,  and  become  as 
dross  or  dung,  or  the  very  vilest  things. 

He  had  taught  the  same  doctrine  in  the  preceding  verse, 
where,  after  showing  the  prerogatives  of  his  birth  and  educa- 
tion in  Judaism,  he  said,  "  But  what  things  were  gain  to  me, 
those  I  counted  loss  for  Christ;"  and  this  I  explained  to  you 
in  my  last  discourse  on  this  subject  ;  and  now  again  he  takes 
up  the  same  idea,  and  enlarges  upon  it,  adding,  "  Yea  doubt- 
less, and  I  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord:  for  whom  I  have  suf- 
fered the  loss  of  all  things,  and  do  count  them  but  dung,  that 
I  may  win  Christ." 

The  apostle  thus  repeats  his  words  for  two  reasons:  first, 
on  account  of  the  importance  of  the  subject,  the  noblest,  the 
grandest,  the  most  necessary  in  the  world.  And  it  is  very 
usual  for  ministers  thus  to  insist  on  essential  subjects,  if  they 
desire  deeply  to  impress  the  hearts  of  their  hearers  ;  and  even 
to  repeat  the  same  thing  two  or  three  times  :  and  the  best 
masters  of  eloquence  consider  these  repetitions,  if  well  done, 
among  the  greatest  ornaments  of  language.  Secondly,  the 
apostle  wishes  to  show  that  he  maintains  the  same  feelings  to- 


312  AN"  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIX 

•wards  his  Saviour  as  he  had  at  the  beginning.  For  it  occa- 
sionally happens  that  the  novelty  of  things  surprises  and  daz- 
zles us  at  first,  causing  us  to  despise  every  thing  besides  ;  but 
when  time  has  lessened  the  attraction  which  novelty  gave,  and 
experience  has  given  us  more  intimate  knowledge  of  them,  we 
repent  of  having  allowed  ourselves  to  be  deceived,  and  change 
the  opinion  we  at  first  held  respecting  them.  Paul,  therefore, 
having  said  that,  when  he  had  once  seen  Christ,  he  despised 
and  counted  as  loss  those  advantages  which  he  had  formerly 
prized,  adds  now  that  he  is  still  of  the  same  opinion.  My 
senses  (says  he)  were  not  dazzled  by  the  glory  of  Christ,  which 
at  first  struck  me  so  forcibly  ;  it  was  not  the  novelty  of  his 
doctrine  which  delighted  me,  and  caused  me  to  contemn  all 
that  I  had  hitherto  valued.  I  have  always  preserved  the  same 
feeling  in  this  respect  as  I  had  then.  Time  has  not  discovered 
to  me  in  my  new  Master  anything  which  corresponds  not 
with  that  excellence  which  my  first  view  of  him  promised. 
The  esteem  and  love  I  then  felt  and  avowed,  far  from  having 
lessened,  have  increased  within  me  more  and  more.  And  as 
I  then  quitted  all  for  his  sake,  and  considered  everything  as 
hurtful  which  separated  me  from  communion  with  him,  so  I 
do  still,  and  am  more  than  ever  resolved  to  be  eternally  his. 
I  find  nothing  beautiful,  nothing  excellent,  but  in  him,  and  I 
renounce  from  my  heart  everything  the  world  esteems,  and 
most  willingly  suffer  the  loss  of  all  things  that  I  may  win 
Christ. 

These  are  the  reasons  that  induced  the  apostle  to  repeat  his 
words.  For  though  the  all  things  of  which  he  speaks  might 
be  taken  in  their  simple  and  universal  sense,  (as  in  fact  there 
is  nothing  in  the  world  which  ought  to  be  compared  in  value 
to  Christ  and  his  salvation,)  yet  the  apostle's  argument  seems 
to  require  that  they  should  relate  to  what  he  had  before  spoken 
of,  namely,  the  advantages  he  possessed  in  Judaism.  And  our 
French  Bible  connects  them  in  the  translation  of  the  second 
clause  of  this  verse,  where  the  apostle  is  said  not  merely  to 
have  deprived  himself  of  all  things,  but  of  all  these  things,  i.  e., 
of  which  he  had  just  spoken.  But  this  must  not  prevent  our 
understanding  all  that  Paul  had  said  respecting  the  advantages 
of  Judaism,  as  extending  also  to  every  other  means  of  salva- 
tion which  men  consider  necessary,  equal  or  preferable  to,  or 
at  least  joining  and  associating  them  with,  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
For  if  the  blood  of  patriarchs  and  prophets,  if  the  seal  of  the 
Mosaic  covenant,  if  observance  of  and  zeal  for  the  law  of  God, 
if  an  unblemished  reputation,  are  but  small  things  compared 
with  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ,  if  they  must  be  regarded 
as  dross,  in  what  class  must  we  place  ceremonies  and  tradi- 
tions purely  human,  which  were  commanded  neither  at  Sinai 
nor  at  Zion,  nor  by  the  voice  of  a  prophet,  and  have  their  au- 
thority from  superstition  alone  ? 


CHAP.   III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  313 

But  without  going  further  into  this  subject,  let  us  consider 
what  the  apostle  says  in  our  text  respecting  those  advantages 
he  formerly  possessed  in  the  Jewish  religion.  He  declares  that  he 
counts  all  these  things  as  loss,  and  afterwards,  that  he  has  suf- 
fered the  loss  of  them,  and  esteems  them  but  as  dross.  But 
he  is  not  satisfied  with  this  ;  he  shows  us  the  reason  why  he 
made  such  small  account  of  things  apparently  so  advanta- 
geous, "  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  ;"  and 
also  his  design  in  renouncing  them,  "  that  I  might  win  Christ." 
We  have  thus  three  subjects  set  forth  in  the  text,  on  which,  by 
God's  grace,  we  will  endeavour  to  speak. 

First,  The  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Jesus. 

Secondly,  The  uselessness  and  vileness  of  all  such  advan- 
tages, and  even  of  the  observance  of  the  law,  as  the  price  of 
this  knowledge. 

Thirdly,  The  necessity  of  renouncing  them  all,  if  we  would 
win  Christ. 

I.  Eespecting  the  first,  this  is  not  the  only  place  in  which 
the  apostle  sets  forth,  above  all  things,  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ,  to  confound  the  superstition  of  the  Ju- 
daizing  christians.  He  does  the  same  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians,  (Col.  i.  15-19,)  where,  arguing  against  this  error, 
to  show  how  vain  and  useless  was  the  addition  which  these 
new  teachers  wished  to  make  to  the  gospel,  he  represents  to 
believers  the  sovereign  dignity  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  image 
of  the  invisible  God,  the  first-born  of  every  creature,  yea,  the 
Creator  of  all  things  in  heaven  and  in  earth;  the  Head  of  the 
church,  the  first-born  from  the  dead,  in  whom  dwelleth  the  ful- 
ness of  the  Godhead  bodily,  and  in  whom  also  are  hidden  all 
the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge.  Here,  then,  for  the 
same  reason,  he  alleges  the  excellency  of  Christ,  calling  him 
his  Lord,  not  merely  as  a  testimony  of  the  ardent  affection  he 
bore  him,  but  also  to  show  the  insult  offered  to  him  by  those 
false  teachers  who  would  fain  give  to  them  whom  he  had  saved 
another  Lord  beside  him. 

The  excellency  of  knowledge  may  be  considered  in  two 
points  :  either  as  regarding  the  things  known,  or  as  regarding 
the  use  and  fruit  thereof.  And  for  the  first,  we  call  that  know- 
ledge excellent  which  treats  of  lofty  and  elevated  subjects  ;  and 
it  is  in  this  sense  that  philosophers  prefer  the  least  knowledge 
of  the  heavens,  and  the  motions  of  the  luminary  bodies,  to  the 
most  intimate  acquaintance  with  earth  and  its  concerns,  be- 
cause the  first  of  these  subjects  is  much  more  noble  and  won- 
derful than  the  other.  And,  secondly,  we  consider  that  know- 
ledge excellent  which  is  useful  and  necessary  to  us,  and  in- 
creases the  happiness  of  life  ;  and  it  is  in  this  sense  that  the 
same  philosophers  esteem  the  knowledge  of  morals,  placing  it 
above  the  abstract  sciences,  because  it  is  more  needful  for  the 
40 


314  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIX. 

conduct  of  our  life  ;  and  those  among  them  are  praised  who 
have  brought  the  study  of  the  heavens  down  to  the  earth; 
that  is  to  say,  who,  instead  of  amusing  themselves  by  specu- 
lations upon  the  motions  and  properties  of  the  heavens,  have 
employed  all  their  powers  in  the  consideration  of  the  nature 
of  man,  of  the  end  for  which  he  lives,  and  the  qualities  neces- 
sary to  render  him  happy. 

The  knowledge  of  Jesus  our  Lord  includes  both  these  excel- 
lences in  a  high  degree.      For    surely  Jesus   Christ   is   the 
grandest,  the  most  excellent,  the  most  exalted  subject  in  the 
universe;   not  a  mere  heavenly  body  or  immaterial  being,  but 
the  Creator  and  Master  of  the  heavens,  the  King  and  Lord  of 
angels,  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  express 
image  of  his  person,  his  word,  his  wisdom,  his  eternal  power; 
in  a  word,  "  God  over  all,  blessed  for  ever  :"  and,  surpassing 
wonder  !  not  merely  God,  but  "  God  manifest   in  the  flesh  ;" 
God  and  man  in  one  person,  in  whom,  as  in  a  mirror,  may  be 
seen  all  the  perfections  of  the  divine  and  human  nature  ;  not 
slightly  and  faintly  represented,  but  vividly  portrayed,  or  ra- 
ther existing  in  the  most  perfect  and  exalted  form;   not  in 
type  and  shadow,  but  in  reality  and  truth.     In  Jesus  Christ 
are  made  known  the  length,   and  breadth,   and  depth,  and 
height  of  the  divine  glories,  secrets  which  no  eye  has  seen,  no 
imagination  conceived.     In  him  is  shown  forth  the  incompre- 
hensible distinction  of  three  persons  in  one  Being,  and  the 
unity  of  one  Being  in  three  distinct  persons.     In  him  are 
manifested  all  the  attributes  of  God,  his  eternity,  his  infini- 
tude, his  power,  his  wisdom,  his  justice,  his  goodness,  his  pro- 
vidence ;  the  designs  of  his  eternal  mind,  and  the  mighty 
works  of  his  hands.     In  him  are  seen,  not  only  the  past  and 
the  present,  but  also  the  future  ;  the  diversity  of  times  and  dis- 
pensations ;  the  origin,  progress,  and  end  of  ages  ;  the  won- 
ders of  this  world  and  of  that  which  is   to  come.     And  the 
knowledge  which  Christ  gives  us  is  not  a  doubtful  and  uncer- 
tain opinion,  such  as  we  acquire  in  the  schools  of  men,  whose 
wisdom  at  best  is  but  suspicion  or  belief;  not  a  true  and  cer- 
tain knowledge  only  ;  but  it  is  a  clear  and  solid  understanding 
of  these  subjects  ;  a  power  of  contemplating  "  God  with  open 
face,"  as  Paul  saith,  2  Cor.  iii.  18,  God  having  rendered  him- 
self visible  and  palpable  in  Christ,  in  such  wise,  that  who- 
soever has  seen  him  has  seen  the  Father  ;  which  John  also  de- 
clares, "  That  which  was  from  the  beginning,  which  we  have 
seen  with  our  eyes,  which  we  have  heard,  which  we  have 
looked  upon,  and  our  hands  have  handled,  of  the  word  of  life," 
1  John  i.  1. 

But  if  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  is  excellent  on  account 
of  the  grandeur  of  the  object,  and  the  clearness  and  certainty 
of  the  evidence  which  it  gives,  it  is  not  the  less  so  on  account 


CHAP.   III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  315 

of  its  usefulness  ;  and  it  is  in  this  sense  principally  that  the 
apostle  considers  it  in  the  text  ;  because  if  this  wisdom  were 
of  no  avail,  it  would  not  induce  us  to  despise  or  reject  things 
otherwise  advantageous  to  us.  The  results  which  arise  from 
a  knowledge  of  the  Saviour  are  on  the  one  hand  so  grand  and 
divine,  and  on  the  other  so  important  and  necessary,  that  we 
may  truly  say,  It  alone  is  excellent  ;  all  other  knowledge  being 
useless  without  this,  and  this  being  alone  capable  of  rendering 
us  eternally  happy. 

For,  in  the  first  place,  while  other  systems  are  either  igno- 
rant of  or  extenuate  our  evil  condition,  this  knowledge  in- 
structs us  respecting  the  greatness  and  the  extent  of  our  vile- 
ness,  showing  us  that,  born  as  we  are,  and  living  as  we  do,  we 
must  expect  nothing  but  death  and  damnation.  It  reveals  to 
us  the  wrath  of  God  kindled  against  the  human  race,  his  in- 
exorable anger  against  sin,  and  the  inevitable  punishment  that 
awaits  us.  It  shows  us  the  blindness  of  those  who  falsely 
imagine  they  owe  nothing  to  the  divine  justice,  as  well  as  the 
vanity  of  all  means  invented  or  employed  by  men  to  appease 
the  Almighty  and  win  his  favour.  But  having  made  us  sen- 
sible of  our  evil  state,  it  places  in  our  hands  the  true  and  only 
remedy,  Jesus  crucified  and  raised  again  for  us.  By  the  blood 
of  that  sacrifice,  alone  capable  of  expiating  the  sins  of  man 
and  of  purifying  his  soul,  because  it  is  an  offering  equal  to  the 
infinitude  of  his  crimes,  the  wrath  of  God  is  extinguished. 
Thus  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  gives  peace  to  the  conscience, 
chasing  away  from  the  soul  the  fear  of  the  avenging  anger  of 
God,  which  waged  a  cruel  war  within  us  by  day  and  night.  It 
disarms  the  destroying  angel  of  the  sword  that  alarms  us,  and 
heaven  of  the  thunder  which  threatens  us. 

But  it  does  not  merely  deliver  us  from  the  fear  of  hell.  It 
gives  us  the  blessed  hope  of  everlasting  life  ;  it  opens  to  us 
heaven  and  its  eternal  sanctuary,  putting  us  in  possession  of 
that  perfect  and  supreme  felicity  for  which  we  have  sighed  even 
before  we  were  acquainted  with  it.  For  Christ  in  dying  has 
not  only  satisfied  the  divine  justice,  he  has  also  obtained  from 
the  Father's  love,  besides  the  pardon  of  our  sins,  the  Holy 
Spirit,  heaven,  and  eternal  life  to  bestow  upon  his  servants  ;  in 
token  of  which  he  was  raised  from  the  dead  the  third  day,  and 
is  now  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  to  administer  his  king- 
dom, and  to  dispense  life  and  glory  to  all  who  believe  in  him. 
From  thence  he  clothes  his  people  with  armour,  and  sends 
them  all  things  needful  for  their  earthly  pilgrimage  :  he  sheds 
into  their  hearts  a  joy  that  passeth  understanding  :  he  gives 
them  consolation  in  every  affliction,  and  assurance  even  in 
death  itself.  He  fills  their  hearts  with  ardent  love  to  God,  and 
real  charity  towards  their  neighbour,  producing  within  them 
true  sanctification  ;  not  a  mercenary  spirit  like  the  Pharisees, 


316  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIX. 

who  acted  for  hire,  and  served  God  only  in  order  to  profit 
themselves,  but  a  sincere  and  candid  mind,  which  embraces 
truth  for  the  love  of  it,  and  in  so  doing  considers  itself  entitled 
to  no  reward,  but  simply  as  having  done  that  which  it  was  its 
duty  to  do.  And  when,  having  passed  through  the  trials  and 
labours  of  this  life,  they  are  called  to  the  grave,  he  receives 
their  souls  to  himself,  and  preserves  their  bodies  amidst  all  the 
changes  and  confusion  of  the  world,  to  be  raised  again  at  the 
great  day,  and  to  be  made  conformable  to  the  glory  of  his  body, 
when  he  will  bestow  on  them  his  last  and  highest  gift,  and 
elevate  them  to  a  participation  of  his  glorious  and  eternal 
kingdom. 

Judge,  then,  believers,  whether  the  apostle  is  not  right  in 
calling  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  excellent,  since  it  produces 
such  sweet  and  precious  fruits.  I  confess,  however,  that  not 
all  who  say  they  possess  it  are  partakers  of  these  fruits.  But 
such  are  presented  for  their  acceptance,  and  to  them  belongs 
the  blame  if  they  have  them  not.  Although,  to  speak  correctly, 
no  one  truly  knows  Christ  who  is  not  a  partaker  of  his  right- 
eousness and  glory,  because  in  this  knowledge  is  life.  "  This 
is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee,  the  only  true  God, 
and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent,"  John  xvii.  3.  There- 
fore Paul  scruples  not  to  say  that  none  of  the  princes  of  this 
world  possessed  the  knowledge  of  God,  alleging  as  a  reason, 
"  for  had  they  known  it,  they  would  not  have  crucified  the 
Lord  of  glory,"  1  Cor.  ii.  8.  For  how  is  it  possible  that  a  man 
could  know  Jesus  without  loving  him,  without  believing  his 
promises,  and  trusting  in  him?  Now,  all  who  believe  in  him 
and  trust  in  him  receive  his  Spirit,  pass  from  death  to  life,  and 
participate  in  all  his  precious  gifts  ;  and  it  therefore  follows 
that  they  who  are  not  thus  in  him  know  him  not.  "  If  thou 
knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee,  Give 
me  to  drink,  thou  wouldest  have  asked  of  him,  and  he  would 
have  given  thee  living  water,"  John  iv.  10. 

Thus  Paul  confounds  the  false  teachers  of  the  circumcision, 
proving  to  them  that  they  had  not  the  knowledge  of  Christ, 
although  they  so  loudly  boasted  of  it,  and  even  affected  to  in- 
struct others  therein  ;  because,  had  they  really  known  him, 
they  would  not,  any  more  than  himself,  have  made  such  ac- 
count of  the  mere  rudiments  as  to  propose  to  mingle  them  with 
the  gospel.  For  that  all  the  observances  of  the  Mosaic  law, 
and  all  the  advantages  with  regard  to  the  flesh  that  can  pos- 
sibly be  had,  are  of  no  value  compared  with  Christ,  is  very 
evident  from  what  has  just  been  said  respecting  the  excellence 
of  the  knowledge  of  him. 

II.  This  brings  us  to  the  second  point  of  the  apostle's  argu- 
ment, in  which  he  declares  that,  "  for  the  excellency  of  this 
knowledge,  he  considers  all  these  things  as  loss,  that  he  has 


CHAP.   III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIAKS.  317 

suffered  the  loss  of  them,  and  that  he  esteems  them  but  as 
dung."  Certainly  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  hold  them  in  greater 
contempt  than  this.  For,  in  the  first  place,  while  the  false 
teachers  recommended  them  as  important,  useful,  and  even  ne- 
cessary for  the  justification  of  believers,  the  apostle,  on  the 
contrary,  "  counts  them  as  loss,"  retarding,  rather  than  ad- 
vancing, the  salvation  of  their  souls.  He  adds,  secondly,  that 
so  considering  them,  he  has  renounced  them  all,  and  volun- 
tarily "  suffered  their  loss  ;"  just  as  a  mariner  who,  seeing  that 
his  merchandise  is  sinking  his  vessel,  throws  every  thing  into 
the  sea  with  his  own  hands,  preferring  rather  to  save  himself 
alone  than  to  endanger  his  life  by  retaining  the  goods  in  the 
ship.  And,  thirdly,  the  apostle  tells  us  that  "  he  counts  them 
but  as  dung."  Now  he  who  throws  his  merchandise  into  the 
sea,  does  it  with  sorrow,  constrained  by  the  necessity  of  saving 
his  life,  and  when  the  danger  is  over,  he  remembers  his  loss 
with  regret.  Paul,  on  the  contrary,  makes  no  more  account 
of  the  loss  of  those  things  of  which  he  had  deprived  himself 
for  the  love  of  Christ,  than  if  they  had  been  straw  and  rubbish. 
For  the  Greek  word  which  he  here  uses*  signifies  literally  that  : 
a  thing  of  nothing,  nlthiness  that  is  thrown  away,  as  not  being 
merely  useless,  but  disgusting. 

And  to  understand  more  fully  the  sense  and  reason  of  this 
doctrine  of  Paul,  we  must  remember  that  the  Mosaic  law  was 
given  but  for  a  certain  time,  and  as  a  certain  dispensation  ;  to 
be,  as  it  were,  a  schoolmaster  to  the  ancient  people  of  God 
until  Christ  came:  not  to  justify  believers,  but  to  keep  them  in 
fear,  and  discipline  them  unto  obedience,  till  the  church  should 
have  attained  (so  to  speak)  the  age  of  its  majority  ;  as  the 
apostle  explains  at  some  length  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians, 
and  in  several  other  places.  This  era  was  now  arrived  ;  the 
legal  economy  ceased  ;  Moses  gave  up  the  people  to  Joshua  ; 
he  put  them  into  the  hands  of  Jesus,  his  living  Lord,  to  be 
thenceforth  under  his  guidance,  to  live  at  liberty,  no  longer 
subject  to  the  severity  and  the  beggarly  elements  of  the  school- 
master of  their  infancy  ;  so  that  all  the  bodily  services  which 
they  were  accustomed  to  render  became  from  that  moment  per- 
fectly useless,  because  in  Christ  there  is  an  abundance  of  those 
benefits  which,  prior  to  his  coming,  were  obtained  by  the  law. 
For  what  service  could  the  law  now  render  to  us  ?  It  showed 
to  the  Jews  the  evil  of  sin,  by  the  curses  that  were  recorded 
against  those  who  were  guilty  of  it.  But  the  gospel  of  Christ 
shows  the  evil  of  sin  much  more  clearly  and  efficaciously,  since 
it  places  before  our  eyes  the  Son  of  God  suffering  an  igno- 
minious death  to  atone  for  our  sins,  and  at  the  same  time  opens 
to  our  view  the  everlasting  miseries  in  hell,  which  they  who 

*  ?.Kvfia.\a. 


318  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIX. 

die  in  unbelief  and  impenitence  must  certainly  endure.  Again, 
the  law  discovered  to  man  his  weakness  and  impotence  by  the 
endeavours  it  produced  in  him  to  obey  it,  as  Paul  explains 
fully  in  the  7th  chapter  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans.  But 
Jesus  shows  us  this  more  clearly,  telling  us  at  once,  without 
any  disguise,  that  of  ourselves  we  can  do  nothing,  and  that 
our  whole  nature  is  so  dreadfully  corrupt,  that  if  we  would 
enter  the  kingdom  of  God,  we  must  be  altogether  born  again. 
The  law,  by  the  spirit  of  slavery  which  it  induced,  kept  the 
Israelites  in  some  measure  to  their  duty,  constraining  them  to 
abstain  from  vice,  and  devote  themselves  to  the  study  of  piety 
and  holiness.  But  Jesus  does  this  more  effectually,  transform- 
ing our  hearts  into  the  fear  and  love  of  God,  by  the  Spirit  of 
adoption,  by  the  clearness  and  propriety  of  his  doctrines,  by 
the  beautiful  picture  of  holiness  which  he  proposes  to  us,  by 
the  example  of  his  own  life,  and  lastly,  by  the  many  proofs  of 
the  goodness  of  God,  and  the  blessed  immortality  reserved  for 
us,  which  are  scattered  everywhere  throughout  the  gospel. 
And  finally,  the  law  represented  the  mysteries  of  Christ  and 
his  kingdom,  the  value  of  his  sacrifice,  the  assistance  of  his 
Spirit,  the  purity  of  his  worship.  But  what  need  have  we  now 
of  the  shadow,  since  we  possess  the  things  themselves  ?  Of 
what  use  to  us  could  the  types  be,  since  we  have  the  spirit  and 
the  substance? 

Thus  you  see  that,  according  to  the  design  of  God,  the  ad- 
vantages and  sacraments  of  the  law  are  of  no  avail  since  the 
manifestation  of  his  Son,  and  that  those  who  now  beguile 
themselves  with  them  lose  their  time  and  their  trouble,  as 
completely  as  though,  after  the  rising  of  the  sun,  they  still 
used  the  light  of  a  lamp  ;  or  as  if,  in  the  strength  of  manhood, 
a  person  were  retained  in  all  the  exercises  and  sports  of  child- 
hood. Therefore  those  false  teachers  who  desired  to  retain  the 
ceremonies  of  the  law  among  christians,  regarded  them  in 
quite  another  light  than  that  for  which  God  instituted  them, 
supposing  them  to  be,  not  instructions  for  leading  them  to 
Christ,  (and  in  this  respect  they  could  be  no  longer  necessary, 
since  Christ  was  already  come,)  but  as  a  means  of  obtaining 
salvation,  by  the  merit  and  efficacy  of  which  man  might  be 
justified  before  God.  And  this  was  precisely  the  error  in 
which  Paul  himself  had  formerly  been,  when  in  the  school  of 
the  Pharisees  ;  believing,  like  them,  that  circumcision,  sacri- 
fices, abstinence,  ablutions,  and  other  ceremonies  of  the  law, 
were  really  expiatory  for  sin,  and  merited  the  favour  of  God, 
having  been  instituted  by  Moses  for  that  end. 

And  it  is  on  this  account  that  the  apostle  here  so  strongly 
decries  all  the  advantages  of  the  law,  protesting  that  he  counts 
them  as  dross,  that  he  rejects  them  as  not  merely  useless,  but 
vile  and  abominable.     Certainly  the  ideas  the  Pharisees  enter- 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  319 

tained  were  full  of  error,  and  at  the  same  time  the  obedience 
they  rendered  to  the  law  was  by  no  means  such  as  the  law 
demanded  of  them.  It  was  a  mark  or  image  of  righteousness, 
ornamented  outwardly  with  fine  colours,  but  within  full  of 
falsehood  and  deceit  ;  and,  to  crown  the  whole,  it  was  tainted 
with  the  deadly  poison  of  presuming  to  merit  the  favour  of 
the  Almighty.  However,  supposing  they  had  been  all  they 
pretended  to  be,  it  is  yet  evident  that  every  advantage  they 
could  possess  must  be  nothing  in  comparison  with  the  excel- 
lency of  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  You  boast,  O  Pharisee,  of 
being  of  the  blood  of  Abraham,  an  Israelite,  nay,  a  Hebrew 
of  the  Hebrews  !  But  what  is  that  compared  to  all  we  possess 
in  Christ  Jesus,  who  has  made  us  bone  of  his  bone,  and  flesh 
of  his  flesh,  citizens  of  heaven,  brethren  of  angels,  children  of 
God,  and  heirs  of  his  kingdom  ?  You  glory  in  having  been 
circumcised,  in  carrying  the  seal  of  the  covenant  in  your  flesh  ; 
but  Christ  gives  us  infinitely  more  in  which  to  glory,  taking 
from  us  the  entire  fleshly  nature,  and  sealing  both  the  soul 
and  body  with  the  mark  of  his  Holy  Spirit  unto  the  day  of 
redemption.  You  make  a  parade  of  your  righteousness,  and 
tell  us  that  it  is  without  spot  ;  but  what  can  you  reply  when 
we  tell  you,  that  the  righteousness  with  which  our  Christ 
clothes  us  is  much  more  perfect  than  yours  can  be,  inasmuch 
as  it  is  divine  and  not  human,  eternal  and  not  temporal,  ca- 
pable of  meeting  the  eyes  and  the  examination  of  God,  and 
not  those  merely  of  men  ?  But  I  will  go  further.  Even  were 
you  perfectly  to  fulfil  the  whole  law,  so  as  to  have  no  need  of 
an  atonement,  and  were  you  thus  able  to  appear  before  the 
tribunal  of  God,  and  justly  claim  all  that  he  has  promised  to 
entire  obedience,  still  to  you  could  not  be  given  crowns  so  de- 
lightful and  so  excellent  as  those  which  he  has  given  to  his 
Son  ;  and  although  you  would  receive  your  reward,  you  would 
not  enjoy  the  kingdom  purchased  by  his  blood,  you  would  not 
share  in  the  honours  of  Jesus,  by  being  partakers  with  him, 
animated  by  his  Spirit,  and  members  of  his  body,  which  are 
certainly  the  highest  honours  a  creature  can  possess. 

From  whence  it  is  evident,  that,  whatever  may  be  the  ad- 
vantages of  the  law,  they  fall  very  short  of  those  which  are  to 
be  found  in  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  ;  so  that,  in  comparison 
with  them,  they  may  well  be  counted  as  loss.  And  if  you 
consider  in  what  estimation  the  Pharisees  and  Judaizing  chris- 
tians held  them,  who  expected  to  be  justified  by  the  defective 
imperfect  obedience  which  they  rendered  to  the  law,  it  appears 
that  by  thus  regarding  them  they  became  an  obstacle  to  their 
salvation,  their  loss  rather  than  their  gain.  ■  The  apostle, 
having  been  taught  in  the  school  of  Christ,  attacks  their  error 
sharply,  and  exposes  their  preteuded  advantages  as  mere  things 
of  nought,  protesting  that,  far  from  glorying  in  them,  he  has 


320  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.   XIX. 

them  in  contempt.  And  he  even  ventures  to  compare  them 
to  dross  and  dung,  in  order  to  show  how  great  was  the  folly 
of  these  people,  who,  in  glorying  in  such  things,  were  only 
making  crowns  of  straw  and  filth,  which  would  soil  and  dis- 
honour the  head,  instead  of  adorning  it.  As  for  himself,  he 
says,  although  the  advantages  he  possessed  were  greater  than 
theirs,  yet  he  has  willingly  suffered  the  loss  of  all,  that  "he 
may  win  Christ."  And  this  brings  us  to  the  third  clause  in 
the  text. 

III.  The  apostle  compares  the  things  of  which  he  has  de- 
prived himself  to  a  price  that  he  willingly  paid  to  possess 
Christ,  and  calls  him  a  "  gain,"  because  he  had  found  in  him 
infinitely  greater  good  than  all  he  had  renounced  ;  a  divine 
instead  of  a  carnal  parentage  ;  a  complete  and  perfect  right- 
eousness instead  of  a  corrupt  and  imperfect  obedience  ;  the  love 
of  Grod  instead  of  the  favour  of  men  ;  the  friendship  of  angels 
instead  of  that  of  the  Jews  ;  immortal  glory  instead  of  the  vain 
approbation  of  the  world  ;  true  peace  in  the  conscience  in- 
stead of  the  mere  assumption  of  it;  happiness  in  the  Spirit 
instead  of  ease  in  the  flesh  ;  in  a  word,  all  the  treasures  of 
heaven  and  eternity  instead  of  a  few  trifling  and  perishable 
possessions  in  the  earth. 

But  I  must  here  entreat  you,  dear  brethren,  carefully  to  re- 
mark what  is  shown  to  us  by  the  apostle,  namely,  that  in  order 
to  win  Christ  we  must  deprive  ourselves  of  all  other  things. 
This  pearl  of  great  price  is  only  to  be  obtained  at  the  sum  of 
all  that  we  have.  Those  false  teachers  did  not  openly  renounce 
Christ  ;  they  professed  to  believe  in  him,  and  trust  him  ;  they 
even  gave  him  the  highest  place  in  their  esteem  ;  but  they  also 
required  that  the  sacrifices  and  ceremonies  of  Moses  should  be 
associated  with  him  as  the  proper  means  of  man's  justification. 
But  the  apostle  utterly  condemns  this  union  of  the  two.  He 
tells  us  we  must  be  saved  entirely  by  Christ,  and  must  owe  all 
our  righteousness  to  his  free  grace  alone.  He  teaches  that  we 
must  either  renounce  him  altogether,  or  serve  none  but  him. 
You  insult  him  if  you  imagine  that  to  be  saved  you  have  need 
of  Moses  or  any  other  being.  But  what  !  (you  will  exclaim,) 
in  order  to  win  Christ,  am  I  then  obliged  to  deprive  myself  of 
all  my  worldly  goods?  Must  I  quit  my  nobility,  for  instance, 
or  my  dignities,  or  my  wealth,  or  the  refinement  of  my  man- 
ners, my  integrity,  my  strict  justice,  and  other  virtues  which 
are  often  found  in  those  who  know  not  Jesus  ?  Is  it  not  pos- 
sible to  have  part  with  him  without  abandoning  everything  I 
possessed  before  ? 

Dear  brethren,  I  answer,  that  it  is  necessary  to  distinguish 
between  the  real  value  of  those  things,  and  the  qualities  attri- 
buted to  them  by  nature  or  superstition.  Paul,  to  become  a 
christian,  did  not  renounce  his  extraction  from  the  blood  of 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  321 

Abraham,  but  he  renounced  the  absurd  trust  which  other  Jews 
placed  in  this  carnal  nobility.  He  did  not  lay  aside  his  pro- 
bity and  the  righteousness  commanded  by  the  law  in  order  to 
give  himself  up  to  intemperance  or  licentiousness  ;  his  conver- 
sion rendered  him  more  pure  and  virtuous  than  he  had  ever 
been  ;  but  he  dismissed  for  ever  all  the  pride  that  he  had  felt 
in  his  own  perfection.  He  did  not  lay  aside  good  works,  but 
he  did  lay  aside  all  presumptuous  hopes  founded  upon  them. 
And  when  we  discourse  upon  the  righteousness  of  faith,  it  is 
not  that  we  blame  or  contemn  good  works,  (God  forbid,)  but 
we  simply  take  from  them  the  virtues  which  our  adversaries 
falsely  ascribe  to  them,  namely,  of  being  capable  of  justifying 
men  before  God.  This  is  the  leaven  that  spoils  them  ;  this  is 
the  fly  that  corrupts  them  ;  this  it  is  that  changes  their  gain 
into  loss,  and  from  jewels  produces  dross  and  filth. 

As  for  riches  and  honours,  and  similar  things,  which  are  good 
only  in  their  use,  and  not  morally  so,  we  should  detach  them 
from  our  hearts  to  that  degree  as  to  be  ready  instantly  to  part 
with  them,  whenever  it  happens  that  we  cannot  maintain  them 
in  possession  without  danger  of  losing  Christ.  You  may  be  a 
christian  without  being  poor.  But  you  cannot  be  a  christian 
without  being  willing  to  become  poor  whenever  your  Master 
calls  you  so  to  be.  In  short,  the  doctrine  and  the  example  of 
the  apostle  teach  us  to  renounce  everything  that  can  only  be 
possessed  without  Christ,  that  is  to  say,  everything  incompa- 
tible with  his  inward  kingdom,  with  that  entire  rule  which  he 
ought  to  bear  over  us  ;  everything  that  can  hinder  our  saying 
with  truth,  In  him  is  all  our  glory. 

Thus,  dear  brethren,  I  have  explained  to  you  this  word  of 
the  apostle.  May  God,  who  has  given  it  to  us  by  the  pen  of 
his  servant,  engrave  it  in  our  hearts  by  the  hand  of  his  Spirit, 
so  that  henceforward  the  Son  may  reign  there  with  absolute 
power:  and  in  order  to  gain  him,  may  we  hold  nothing  so 
dear  that  we  cannot  easily  part  from  it,  counting  our  lives  but 
as  rubbish  in  comparison  of  preserving  ourselves  pure  in  him. 

Let  us  then,  first,  bless  God  who  has  given  us  this  know- 
ledge of  the  Son  of  his  love,  the  most  precious  of  all  his 
treasures.  Let  us,  with  Paul,  admire  the  excellency  of  this 
grace,  and  learn  from  him  to  value  it  at  its  just  price.  This 
knowledge,  brethren,  infinitely  surpasses  all  earthly  wisdom, 
and  even  the  wisdom  of  the  law  itself,  though  given  from 
heaven.  All  that  knowledge  of  the  ancient  Israelites,  so  much 
esteemed  by  Moses,  and  so  exalted  above  the  knowledge  of 
every  other  nation  on  the  earth,  was  yet  but  the  rudiment  of 
our  gospel  :  compared  with  it,  it  was  but  like  the  twinkling 
of  a  star,  dimly  discerned  through  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
or  the  pale  light  of  a  lamp,  feebly  indicating  the  glory  of  the 
noon-day  sun.  I  will  say  more  :  the  knowledge  of  Christ  is 
41 


322  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XIX. 

above  the  knowledge  that  Adam  had,  or  could  have  acquired, 
in  Paradise.  It  is  even  more  excellent  than  the  light  which 
angels  possessed  before  the  manifestation  of  the  Saviour.  Let 
us  then  praise  the  Lord  for  thus  enlightening  our  minds  ;  for 
thus  in  his  infinite  mercy  separating  us  from  the  rest  of  the 
world,  which  lieth  in  the  darkness  of  nature  or  superstition  ; 
and  vouchsafing  to  send  us  his  apostles  and  prophets  to  teach 
us  the  knowledge  of  the  mystery  of  Christ.  Oh,  let  us  profit 
by  his  goodness,  and  be  attentive  to  his  instructions.  Let  us 
leave  all  other  subjects  to  study  this  ;  and,  with  Paul,  let  us 
resolve  to  know  nothing  but  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified. 
Let  us  give  ourselves  no  rest  until  we  become  acquainted  with 
him.  For  the  light  we  possess,  which  shines  brightly  in  the 
midst  of  us,  will  but  aggravate  our  misery,  and  enhance  our 
condemnation,  if  we  make  not  the.  proper  use  of  it.  Its  real 
use  is  to  dispose  our  hearts,  like  that  of  Paul,  to  admire  and 
love  Christ  above  all  things,  and  to  esteem  as  filth  and  dross 
whatever  places  itself  in  competition  with  him.  And,  in  fact, 
brethren,  there  is  not,  and  there  never  can  be,  anything  on 
earth  comparable  to  this  gracious  Lord,  whether  for  the  excel- 
lence of  his  gifts,  or  the  means  by  which  he  bestows  them  on 
men. 

The  Paradise  of  Eden  and  its  delights  were  but  types  of  the 
glorious  and  perfect  beatitude  which  God  has  prepared  for  the 
members  of  his  Son  ;  so  that  had  we  been  enabled  to  perform 
the  whole  law,  and  been  on  the  point  of  receiving  the  reward 
promised  under  the  first  covenant,  and  had  the  happiness  de- 
rived from  Jesus  been  then  offered  to  us,  we  should  certainly 
have  quitted  the  former  to  embrace  the  latter,  renouncing 
Adam  and  his  Paradise  to  obtain  Christ.  But,  alas,  these  are 
not  the  terms  offered  to  us.  In  the  case  described,  not  to 
choose  Christ  would  be  a  loss  truly  ;  but  it  would  be  only  the 
loss  of  a  greater  benefit,  while  the  lesser  would  still  remain  to 
us.  But  now  there  is  no  middle  line  between  communion  with 
Christ  or  the  most  awful  reverse.  We  are  somewhat  in  the 
condition  of  princes,  who  cannot  descend  to  a  private  station, 
they  must  perish  or  reign.  It  is  the  same  with  us.  We  must 
either  reign  with  Jesus,  or  perish  for  ever  with  devils  ;  either 
enjoy  the  most  perfect  happiness,  or  suffer  the  utmost  misery  ; 
because,  being  sinners,  we  can  be  saved  only  by  Christ,  and 
whom  he  saves  he  renders  happy  to  all  eternity. 

Let  us  then  embrace  his  salvation  with  our  whole  hearts, 
both  on  account  of  his  excellence  and  our  own  necessity.  Let 
this  great  truth  be  stamped  upon  our  minds,  that  out  of  him 
everything  is  mortal  and  evanescent.  You  behold  the  wrath 
of  God  revealed  from  heaven  against  all  unrighteousness  of 
men  ;  time  which  ends  with  the  world  ;  death  which  spares 
none  ;  riches,  honours,  men,  families,  villages,  empires  passing 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  323 

away  one  after  another,  and  leaving  no  traces  behind  them  ;  a 
secret  and  inevitable  decree  sapping  the  foundation  of  things 
apparently  the  most  solid;  ravaging  and  carrying  away  all 
things,  and  plunging  them,  like  the  deluge  of  old,  into  a  dark 
and  deep  abyss  from  whence  there  is  no  return.  These  things 
you  behold  now.  But  those  which  are  yet  invisible  are  infi- 
nitely worse;  hell-fire  unquenchable;  the  worm  that  never 
dies,  but  is  eternally  gnawing  impenitent  sinners! 

Remember,  therefore,  that  Jesus  Christ  alone,  like  another 
Noah,  saves  from  destruction  all  who  take  refuge  in  his  ark, 
which  now  stands  open  to  receive  them.  That  ark,  sinners,  is 
your  only  hope.  Oh,  flee  to  it.  Disengage  yourselves  from  the 
trammels  of  this  world,  and  forsake  all  to  gain  it.  Reject  what- 
ever might  retard  you  in  the  pursuit  of  so  requisite  an  end, 
and  scruple  not  to  say  to  those  who  would  dissuade  you  from 
your  purpose,  though  they  were  even  your  parents  or  best 
friends,  "  Get  thee  behind  me,  Satan  ;  thou  art  an  offence  to  me." 

Remember,  yon  have  nothing  so  precious  as  your  soul  ;  no- 
thing so  sacred,  so  essential  as  fellowship  with  the  Saviour; 
that  for  him  it  is  needful  to  "  hate  father,  mother,  wife,  chil- 
dren, brothers,  sisters,  and  even  our  own  life  :"  and  that  to  ob- 
tain his  salvation  it  is  necessary,  in  the  language  of  scripture,  "to 
cut  off  our  hands,  or  our  feet,  or  even  to  pluck  out  our  eyes." 
it  being  "better  to  enter  into  life  halt  or  maimed,  rather 
than  having  two  hands  or  two  feet  to  be  cast  into  hell-fire." 
Unhappy  sinner!  of  what  avail  can  those  honours  and  those 
pleasures  be  which  you  so  dearly  love,  if  you  lose  your  own 
soul  ?  How  can  you  be  so  ill-advised  as  to  prefer  such  vanities 
to  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  King  of  glory,  the  life  and  happiness 
of  mankind  ?  How  is  it  you  do  not  understand,  that  in  losing 
him  you  lose  everything,  but  by  gaining  him  you  lose  no- 
thing? If  you  are  willing  to  quit  these  things  for  his  sake, 
he  will  give  himself  entirely  to  you.  He  will  give  you  the 
peace  of  the  Father,  the  consolation  of  the  Spirit,  and  a  bless- 
ed immortality.  And  is  not  the  acquisition  of  so  great  a  ben- 
efit at  the  expense  of  such  mere  trifles  an  inestimable  gain  ? 
But,  my  friends,  we  have  been  hitherto  spared,  and  have  ex- 
perienced no  temptation,  save  "  that  which  is  common  to  man." 
At  present,  our  Lord  has  not  required  us  to  shed  our  blood 
for  his  sake,  or  to  deprive  ourselves  of  our  goods,  though, 
were  he  to  demand  these  things,  they  would  be  nothing  to  the 
price  he  has  given  for  us.  He  requires  only  that  we  renounce 
every  evil  thing,  ambition,  avarice,  hatred,  strife,  envy;  that 
we  consider  all  sin  as  a  monstrous  thing,  for  so  in  fact  it  is  ; 
that  we  hold  it  in  abhorrence,  and  look  upon  it  as  abominable 
filth;  and  that  we  at  all  times  prefer  his  glory  to  the  gratifica- 
tion of  our  own  sinful  lusts. 

Let  us  then  obey  these  reasonable  demands,  and  in  order 


324  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XX. 

to  win  the  Saviour,  who  thus  so  graciously  presents  himself  to 
us  both  in  his  word  and  ordinances,  let  us  cast  away  every 
thing  of  a  sinful  nature,  and  accustom  ourselves  so  to  behold 
and  taste  the  value  of  this  divine  Eedeemer,  that  at  length  we 
may  be  enabled  for  his  sake  to  despise  every  earthly  good,  and 
to  say  with  the  apostle  in  sincerity  of  heart,  "  Yea,  doubtless, 
I  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge 
of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord  :  for  whom  I  have  suffered  the  loss 
of  all  things,  and  do  count  them  but  dung  that  I  may  win 
Christ."     Amen. 


SERMON  XX. 

VERSES   9 — 11. 


And  {that  I  may)  be  found  in  him,  not  having  mine  oivn  righteous- 
ness, which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith  of 
Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith:  that  I  may 
know  him,  and  the  power  of  his  resurrection,  and  the  fellowship 
of  his  sufferings,  being  made  conformable  unto  his  death  ;  if  by 
any  means  I  might  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the  dead. 

We  read  in  the  book  of  Genesis  that  Adam  and  Eve,  im- 
mediately after  their  fall,  perceiving  their  nakedness,  sewed 
fig  leaves  together,  and  made  themselves  aprons  ;  that,  hearing 
the  voice  of  the  Lord,  they  hid  themselves  from  him  among 
the  trees  of  the  garden  ;  that  the  Almighty,  after  having  con- 
victed them  of  their  sin,  and  pronounced  their  sentence  of 
condemnation,  (ameliorating  his  threatened  judgments  by  giv- 
ing them  the  hope  of  restitution  through  the  seed  of  the 
woman,)  condescended  himself  to  "  make  them  coats  of  skin, 
and  clothe  them." 

As  all  things  contained  in  the  ancient  scriptures  relate  to 
Christ,  who  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  them,  I  have  no 
doubt,  brethren,  that  this  wonderful  transaction  represents  to 
us  some  of  the  mysteries  of  his  gospel.  Now  in  my  opinion 
the  first  part  of  this  mystical  picture  describes  the  feelings 
and  sentiments  of  sinful  man  in  the  state  in  which  he  is  born. 
He  is  not  so  brutish  that  he  cannot  perceive  his  misery,  and 
the  nakedness  of  his  nature,  despoiled  of  that  innocence  and 
holiness  which  ought  to  dwell  therein.  This  sense  of  naked- 
ness induces  him  to  seek  some  covering  to  conceal  his  sin  and 
shame,  and  enable  him  to  appear  in  the  light  without  blush- 
ing.    But  instead  of  providing  himself  with  suitable  clothing, 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  325 

he  does  but  industriously  sew  fig  leaves  together  ;  a  vain  and 
useless  attempt,  too  well  describing  the  expiations,  satisfactions, 
and  pretended  righteousness  which  nature  and  superstition 
have  invented  to  conceal  sin,  and  justify  man  in  the  sight  of 
God.  For  as  the  fig  leaf  is  rough  and  unpleasant  to  the  touch, 
and,  moreover,  its  edges  so  divided  and  cut,  that  it  necessarily 
leaves  some  part  of  the  body  uncovered  ;  so  the  superstitions 
and  ceremonies  which  the  heathen,  the  Pharisees,  and  all  others, 
ancient  or  modern,  who  would  justify  themselves,  have  in- 
vented to  hide  sin,  (the  shame  of  our  nature,)  are  difficult  and 
wearisome  to  the  mind,  and  are,  moreover,  unequal  to  the  task 
assigned  them,  being  utterly  incapable  of  concealing  our  na- 
kedness. And  therefore  it  often  happens,  that  those  who  beguile 
themselves  with  such  things  (though  they  may  strut  before 
men,  and  talk  loudly  of  their  expiations  and  their  merits,  fan- 
cying they  have  sufficient  not  only  for  themselves,  but  for 
others  also)  no  sooner  hear  the  voice  of  God  coming  to  judge 
them,  than,  like  Adam  and  Eve,  they  flee  trembling  from 
him,  conscious  of  the  impotence  of  the  miserable  fig  leaves 
with  which  they  are  adorned,  and  vainly  wishing  to  hide  their 
nakedness  from  the  eyes  of  their  sovereign  Judge. 

This  appears  to  me  the  mystical  meaning  of  the  first  part 
of  this  wonderful  history.  But  what  can  be  the  signification 
of  the  second  part — God  himself  making  coats  of  skin  for 
Adam  and  Eve,  and  clothing  them  therewith  ?  Dear  brethren, 
it  is  an  image  of  the  infinite  mercy  which  God  has  shown  to- 
ward us  in  the  person  of  his  Son  Jesus.  Adam,  that  is  to  say, 
man,  with  all  the  fertility  of  his  invention,  supplies  himself 
with  nothing  but  useless  leaves.  God  alone,  in  his  goodness, 
has  provided  a  garment  capable  of  concealing  our  nakedness, 
and  of  enabling  us  to  appear  in  his  presence  without  shame 
and  without  fear.  The  substance  and  quality  of  the  clothing 
made  for  Adam  represents  in  a  lively  manner  that  mystic  gar- 
ment which  God  has  bestowed  on  us  by  his  Son.  For  Adam's 
covering  was  not  made  of  flax,  or  of  hemp,  or  of  wool,  or  of 
silk,  or  of  any  of  those  articles  which  man  employs  for  this 
purpose,  but  of  skins,  as  the  scripture  tells  us;  of  the  skin  of 
some  animal  put  to  death  in  order  to  clothe  our  first  parents  ; 
thereby  signifying  to  us,  that  the  robe  with  which  the  Saviour 
by  grace  covers  his  people  must  cost  that  blessed  Lamb  his 
life,  being  taken  from  him  who  is  sacrificed  for  us.  For,  as 
you  well  know,  his  death  is  our  life  :  he  has  shed  his  blood  to 
cover  our  nakedness,  and  conceal  our  shame;  and  by  his  death 
alone  his  saints  are  invested  with  their  immortal  robe  of  glory. 
As  the  clothing  of  Adam  was  a  gift  from  God,  and  not  the  in- 
vention or  work  of  man  ;  so  the  righteousness  of  Christ  is  a 
gift  from  heaven,  and  not  a  production  of  the  earth.  It  is  given 
to  us  by  the  free  grace  of  God,  who,   in  his  wisdom,  designed, 


326  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XX. 

formed,  and  made  this  mystical  garment,  of  which  neither  an- 
gels nor  men  could  have  conceived  an  idea.  And  as  the  cloth- 
ing provided  for  Adam  was  suitable  to  his  need,  and  fit  for  the 
purpose  designed,  not  unseemly  and  imperfect,  like  the  absurd 
fig  leaves  of  his  own  sewing  together  ;  so  the  righteousness 
of  the  Lamb  of  God  has  every  requisite  for  our  complete  jus- 
tification, being  perfect  and  entire,  and  suited  to  our  necessi- 
ties in  every  respect,  and  not  defective,  like  the  supposed 
merits  of  men,  which  are  in  reality  more  likely  to  hurt  and 
disgrace  than  to  clothe  and  adorn  us. 

It  is  of  this  righteousnes  of  God  that  Paul  speaks  to  us  to- 
day, brethren,  in  the  text  which  you  have  heard.  He  had  seen 
how  useless  and  imperfect  was  that  with  which  the  disciples 
of  superstition  or  of  the  law  imagined  they  could  appear  be- 
fore God,  having  formerly  lost  his  time  and  trouble  in  adorn- 
ing himself  with  those  vain  leaves  while  he  was  yet  in  the 
school  of  the  Pharisees.  But  the  eyes  of  his  understanding 
having  been  enlightened  from  heaven  in  a  miraculous  manner 
to  see  the  wonderful  treasures  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  he  instantly 
and  for  ever  quitted  the  false  splendor  of  his  Pharisaic  cloth- 
ing, casting  it  away  as  no  better  than  mere  fig  leaves,  and  gave 
himself  entirely  to  the  Saviour  ;  thus  putting  aside  the  gar- 
ments of  the  first  Adam  to  adorn  himself  with  those  of  the 
Second.  He  had  begun  this  subject  in  the  preceding  verse,  in 
which  he  declares,  as  you  will  remember,  that  "  he  had  suffered 
the  loss  of  all  (these)  things,  counting  them  as  dung,  that  he 
might  win  Christ."  He  now  enforces  this  proposition,  showing 
us  more  especially  in  what  the  "  gain"  of  possessing  Christ  con- 
sisted ;  and  what  were  the  effects  of  that  fellowship  with  him 
which  he  was  so  desirous  to  possess  :  "  That  I  may  be  found 
in  him,  not  having  mine  own  righteousness,  which  is  of  the 
law,  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  right- 
eousness which  is  of  God  by  faith  :  that  I  may  know  him,  and 
the  power  of  his  resurrection,  and  the  fellowship  of  his  suf- 
ferings, being  made  conformable  unto  his  death  ;  if  by  any 
means  I  might  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the  dead." 

The  apostle  in  this  rich  and  magnificent,  though  brief,  lan- 
guage, declares  to  us  that  which  he  expected  from  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  which  he  actually  gives  to  all  who  truly  believe  in 
him. 

First,  He  clothes  them  with  "  the  righteoLisness  of  God  by 
faith." 

Secondly,  He  gives  them  a  part  in  "  the  power  of  his  resur- 
rection." 

Thirdly,  He  makes  them  "  conformable  to  his  death."    And, 

Lastly,  he  conducts  them  to  his  glorious  "  resurrection  ;"  and 
this  includes  all  the  principal  mercies  that  we  receive  from  God 
by  his  Son:  it  is  by  him  that  we  are  justified  and  sanctified; 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  327 

by  him  we  are  armed  with  patience  to  endure  afflictions;  and 
by  him  we  shall  at  length  be  raised  in  glory.  These,  therefore, 
if  it  please  God,  shall  form  the  four  subjects  of  the  present  dis- 
course :  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Christ  ;  the  power  of  his 
resurrection  ;  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings  ;  and  the  resur- 
rection from  death  to  which  we  aspire. 

I.  To  commence,  then,  with  the  first  clause,  the  apostle  tells 
us  that  he  renounced  all  other  advantages  in  order  that  he 
"  might  be  found  in  Christ,  not  having  his  own  righteousness, 
which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is  through  the  faith  of 
Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith."  To  be 
found,  in  the  language  in  which  the  apostle  wrote,  is  gener- 
ally expressive  simply  of  to  be,  and  in  the  text,  therefore,  to  be 
found  in  him,  signifies  to  be  in  him:  however,  the  common 
mode  of  expression  may  perhaps  be  best  here.  For  when  God 
comes  to  judge  men,  he  finds  them  in  opposite  states  ;  some 
without  Christ,  having  no  fellowship  with  him  ;  others  in  Christ, 
trusting  to  him  alone,  and  united  to  him  by  a  pure  and  simple 
faith.  The  apostle  desires  to  be  of  the  number  of  these  last, 
well  knowing  that  out  of  Christ  nothing  is  to  be  expected  but 
condemnation  and  misery  ;  and  therefore  to  this  end  he,  as  it 
were,  quits  himself,  he  casts  away  every  advantage  that  be- 
longed to  him  by  birth  and  education,  to  put  on  Christ  ;  so 
that  when  the  sovereign  Judge  shall  come,  or  the  accuser  pre- 
sent himself,  he  may  be  found  in  Christ,  in  his  body,  in  his 
vine.  It  appears  that  he  here  alludes  to  what  he  had  said  be- 
fore, that  he  counted  all  things  loss,  and  most  willingly  de- 
prived himself  of  them,  that  he  might  win  Christ  ;  adding  now 
that  he  had  done  so  to  be  found  in  him,  or,  to  find  himself  in 
him;  and  this  signifies  that  the  loss  of  all  was  very  advanta- 
geous to  him,  since  instead  of  those  things  of  nought  of  which 
he  had  deprived  himself,  he  now  possessed  Christ,  being  lost 
in  himself  to  be  saved  by  him.  And  truly  there  is  but  this 
one  Saviour  in  whom  man  can  be  found  ;  he  is  lost  if  he  relies 
on  any  other  :  and,  on  the  contrary,  whatever  loss  he  may  sus- 
tain to  win  Christ,  he  finds  again  in  him;  as  saith  our  Lord  on 
another  subject,  "  Whosoever  will  save  his  life  shall  lose  it  ; 
but  whosoever  will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake  shall  find  it," 
Matt.  x.  39. 

But  the  apostle,  in  order  to  mark  more  especially  the  object 
he  seeks,  and,  in  fact,  finds  in  Christ,  adds,  "  not  having  mine 
own  righteousness,  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that  which  is 
through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God 
by  faith."  God  being  of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  sin,  will 
never  communicate  himself  to  the  creature  who  is  guilty  of  it, 
while  he  remains  unpunished  ;  there  are  therefore  but  two 
methods  of  appearing  in  his  presence  and  partaking  of  his  fa- 
vour :  the  one  is,  by  proving  that  we  are  free  from  sin,  having 


328  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XX. 

perfectly  fulfilled  his  commands  ;  the  other,  by  receiving  mercy 
and  grace  through  the  satisfaction  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  by  his 
obedience  even  unto  death,  has  made  an  atonement  for  sin,  and 
appeased  the  wrath  of  God.     The  first  of  these  two  ways  is 
that  which  the  apostle  calls  in  the  text,  "his   righteousness, 
which  is  of  the  law  ;"  the  second,  "  the  righteousness  which  is 
through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God 
by  faith."     He  had  formerly  followed  the  first  way,  while  in 
the  darkness  of  Phariseeism,  expecting  to  be  justified  (that  is, 
declared  righteous,  and  treated  by  God  as  such)  by  the  works 
of  the  law,  in  virtue  of  that  obedience  which  he  daily  studied 
to  render  to  its  commands.     And  these  false  teachers,  by  rea- 
son of  whom  he  seems  partly  to  have  penned  this  Epistle,  still 
retained  the  same  error  while  professing  Christianity,  subject- 
ing believers  to  the  law,  and  supposing  that  these  observances 
which  they  added  to  the  gospel  would  be  the  means  of  justify- 
ing them  in  the  sight  of  God.     But  Paul,  enlightened  by  the 
Lord,  altogether  rejects  this  way  of  justification,  showing  a't 
some  length,  in  the  first  five  chapters  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Eo- 
mans,  that  in  the  present  state  of  man  it  is  impracticable  ;  and 
again,  he  carries  on  the  same  argument  in  the  Epistle  to  the 
Galatians.     And  indeed,  if  we  consider  the  subject  calmly,  this 
truth  is  self-evident.     For  as  the  law  curses  with  inexorable 
rigour  whoever  should  fail  in  one  point  which  it  commands  ; 
and  as  it  appears,  on  the  other  hand,  both  by  the  word  of  God, 
and  the  answer  of  the  conscience,  that  there  is  no  mortal  man 
who  has  not  sinned,  and  who  fails  not  continually  in  that  obe- 
dience which  the  law  demands  ;  who  does  not  see  that  if  he 
were  to  have  the  boldness  to  present  himself  before  the  tribu- 
nal of  the  law,  he  could  but  bring  thence  confusion  and  cur- 
sing ?     Yes,  it  is  impossible  that  man  can  be  saved  by  the  law. 
It  is  on  this  account  that  David  entreats  the  Lord  not  to  enter 
into  judgment  with  him,  adding  that  in  his  sight  no  flesh  could 
be  justified,  Psal.  xiv.  3.     But  there  is  no  need  to  insist  on  this 
point.     The  authority  and  the  example  of  the  apostle  are  suffi- 
cient for  us,  and  he  loudly  and  clearly  renounces  it  in  the  text, 
"  the  righteousness  which  is  of  the  law."     But  blessed  for  ever 
be  the  Lord,  who  in  the  inexhaustible  treasures  of  his  wisdom 
and  mercy  has  found  another  method  of  justifying  the  sinner, 
not  only  possible  but  easy,  by  sending  his  Son  to  be  the  pro- 
pitiation for  our  sins,  and  through  his  blood  making  a  new 
covenant  with  us,  which  saith  not,  as  the  old  covenant,  "  Do 
this,  and  live,"  but,  "Believe,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved;"  so  that 
whosoever  believes  obtains  remission  of  sins,  and  access  to  the 
throne  of  God,  there  to  receive  the  fruits  of  grace,  peace,  con- 
solation, sanctification,  and  in  the  end  a  blessed  immortality  ; 
all  in  virtue  of  that  obedience  which  Jesus  rendered  to  the 
Father  on  the  cross,  where  he  was  made  sin  and  a  curse  for  us, 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  329 

his  agonies  being  imputed  to  us  as  though  we  had  suffered 
them.  It  is  to  this  righteousness  Paul  alludes.  This  he  de- 
sires to  possess  as  the  only  means  of  obtaining  the  peace  of 
God,  as  the  only  title  to  salvation  and  to  life.  He  knows  that 
no  other  can  stand  before  an  all-searching  God  ;  that  no  right- 
eousness but  this  can  meet  his  view.  He  calls  it  righteousness 
because  it  is  by  it  that  we  are  justified,  being  dealt  with  by 
the  Lord  as  though  we  were  perfectly  righteous,  as  though  we 
had  never  committed  a  sin  against  him.  He  tells  us  it  is  by 
the  "  faith  of  Christ,"  (that  is  by  the  faith  we  possess  in  the 
gospel  of  Christ,)  because  it  is  communicated  to  the  believer  in 
Jesus,  according  as  the  scriptures  teach  in  an  infinite  number 
of  places.  "  He  that  believeth  in  the  Son  is  not  condemned, 
but  is  passed  from  death  unto  life,"  John  iii.  18,  36.  And  there- 
fore the  apostle  elsewhere  says,  that  whoso  believeth  on  him  that 
justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  counted  for  righteousness, 
Rom.  iv.  5,  because  it  occupies  the  place  of  righteousness  ;  this 
faith  obtaining  from  God  all  the  recompense  that  is  promised 
to  the  most  perfect  obedience,  even  as  it  is  said  of  Abraham, 
"  He  believed  God,  and  it  was  counted  unto  him  for  righteous- 
ness." 

The  apostle  adds,  that  this  "  righteousness  is  of  God  by  faith," 
because  it  is  God  alone  who  established  us  therein,  who  hath 
given  us  the  Son,  the  foundation  of  our  faith,  having  revealed 
him  from  heaven,  and  who  communicateth  this  righteousness 
in  imputing  to  the  believer  the  obedience  of  the  Mediator,  re- 
garding him  with  a  favourable  eye  when  thus  clothed  as  it 
were  with  Jesus,  and  crowning  him  with  all  the  benefits  he 
purchased  by  his  death  upon  the  cross. 

Our  adversaries  of  the  church  of  Rome,  who  retain  in  some 
degree  the  doctrine  of  those  whom  the  apostle  here  condemns, 
interpret  these  words  in  another  manner,  and  understand  by 
"  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith,"  the  good  works 
Paul  performed  after  he  became  a  christian,  pretending  that 
through  their  means  he  was  justified  before  God,  and  therefore 
calls  them  "  the  righteousness  of  God  by  faith,"  because  they 
were  the  fruits  of  his  faith  in  Christ.  But  this  interpretation 
upholds  a  doctrine  full  of  vanity  and  pride,  condemned  by  the 
apostle  a  hundred  times,  namely,  that  man  may  be  justified  by 
his  works  :  it  strains  and  perverts  the  whole  text,  and  makes 
void  the  contrast  which  Paul  expressly  draws  between  "  the 
righteousness  which  is  by  the  law,"  and  "  the  righteousness  of 
God,"  which  he  desired  to  possess  in  Christ  ;  it  being^clear,  even 
according  to  our  antagonists,  that  he  might  equally  well  call 
the  good  works  which  he  performed  when  a  christian  his 
"  righteousness  which  is  by  the  law,"  as  those  which  he  had  per- 
formed when  a  Jew,  since  it  was  himself  who  did  them  ;  since 
they  were  done  according  to  the  law,  which  commands  us  to  love 
42 


330  AN  EXPOSITION    OF  [SEEM.   XX. 

God  with  all  our  heart,  and  our  neighbour  as  ourselves  ;  and 
since  he  wrought  them,  if  you  believe  the  Kornish  church,  with 
a  view  to  be  justified  by  them,  according  to  that  word  of  the 
law,  "  Do  this,  and  live."  But  this  explanation  evidently  in- 
jures the  cause  of  the  apostle.  For  those  of  whom  he  had  been 
discoursing  also  professed  to  have  embraced  the  gospel,  and 
maintained  that  the  good  works  by  which  they  expected  to  be 
justified  were  fruits  of  faith  in  Christ  ;  so  that  if  the  apostle's 
righteousness  consisted  also  in  good  works,  he  was  wrong  for 
having  argued  so  forcibly  against  them.  He  ought  only  to 
have  forbidden  circumcision  and  the  other  ceremonies  which 
these  people  retained,  leaving  to  the  works  commanded  by  the 
moral  law  the  glory  they  ascribed  to  them,  that  of  being  the 
cause  of  our  justification  ;  instead  of  which  he  everywhere  dis- 
putes against  this  doctrine,  absolutely  denying  that  man  can 
be  justified  by  the  works  of  the  law  ;  and  placing  expressly 
among  the  advantages  that  he  had  renounced  all  "  the  right- 
eousness that  is  by  the  law,"  in  which,  until  then,  he  had  been 
irreproachable  ;  and  it  is  evident  the  works  of  the  moral  law 
are  equally  intended  with  those  of  the  ceremonial. 

And  as  for  that  which  some  allege,  that  the  righteousness 
which  Paul  renounced  proceeded  from  his  own  free-will,  while 
that  which  he  desired  to  find  in  Christ  was  derived  from  the 
grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  if  the  apostle  had  had  any  intention 
of  marking  this  difference,  it  is  strange  that  he  says  nothing 
respecting  it,  either  here  or  elsewhere  ;  all  his  argument  being 
against  the  power  attributed  to  good  works  of  being  able  to 
justify  man,  and  not  against  the  principle  from  whence  they 
proceeded.  Again,  is  it  not  very  clear  that  these  people  held 
that  their  works  were  the  offspring  of  their  own  free-will,  after 
they  had  received  the  gospel?  and  it  appears  they  main- 
tained on  this  subject  an  opinion  similar  to  that  which  is 
taught  in  most  of  the  Eomish  schools,  namely,  that  good  works 
spring  partly  from  grace,  and  partly  from  free-will. 

But  they  add,  that  the  righteousness  the  apostle  desired 
must  be  understood  as  a  righteousness  inherent  in  his  person, 
and  not  imputed  by  the  grace  of  God,  because  he  says  he  is  in 
Christ,  and  those  who  are  in  him,  by  virtue  of  that  fellowship, 
are  really  sanctified  in  their  hearts  ;  and  this,  they  suppose,  is 
signified  by  the  words,  "  that  I  may  know  him,  and  the  power 
of  his  resurrection,  and  the  fel]owship  of  his  sufferings;" 
which,  however,  evidently  signify  the  sanctification  produced 
in  us  by  the  communion  we  have  with  Jesus  crucified  and 
raised  again.  Thus  far  I  most  willingly  allow,  that  every 
man,  who  by  a  true  and  lively  faith  enters  into  communion 
and  fellowship  with  Jesus,  is,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  transformed 
into  a  new  creature,  and  "  created  unto  good  works,"  that  he 
may  walk  therein  in  fear  and  trembling,  as  the  apostle  has 


CHAP.   III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  331 

taught  us  elsewhere  :  "  Who  has  given  himself  for  us,  that  he 
might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  us  unto  himself 
a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good  works,"  Tit.  ii.  14  ;  and 
again,  "  If  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature,"  2  Cor. 
v.  17  :  and  I  grant  also,  that  Paul,  the  chosen  vessel,  abounded 
in  these  divine  fruits  more  than  any  other  disciple  of  the  Lord. 
We  dispute  this  with  none.  We  simply  contend  that,  upon 
the  subject  of  appearing  before  God  to  partake  of  his  grace 
and  glory,  neither  Paul  nor  any  other  true  believer  trusts  to 
anything  but  the  death  and  passion  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  No 
believer  depends  upon  his  works  for  justification,  however  ex- 
cellent they  may  be. 

Be  it  then  that  Paul,  by  the  efficacy  of  fellowship  with  Je- 
sus, and  by  virtue  of  his  death  and  resurrection,  was  greatly 
sanctified,  and  produced  excellent  fruits  of  piety  and  charity 
(as  I  believe,  and  for  which  I  praise  God)  ;  it  does  not  there- 
fore follow  that  this  holy  apostle  pleaded  his  works  as  his 
righteousness  before  the  tribunal  of  the  Lord,  or  that  he  in- 
tends to  speak  of  them  here  by  the  "  righteousness  of  God," 
as  opposed  to  his  own,  or  "  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God 
by  faith,"  opposed  to  that  which  is  "  by  the  law."  On  the 
contrary,  the  distinction  he  draws  between  "  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  and  fellowship  with  his  sufferings,"  and  the  possession 
of  the  "  righteousness  of  God,"  as  of  effects  and  cause,  evi- 
dently proves  that  this  righteousness,  and  the  holiness  depend- 
ing thereon,  are  separate  things. 

The  righteousness  of  God,  which  we  have  in  his  Son,  is  the 
principle,  the  source,  the  cause  ;  holiness  is  the  fruit,  the 
stream,  the  effect  ;  good  works,  as  one  said  formerly,  follow- 
ing, and  not  preceding  justification;  an  evident  token  that 
they  are  not  the  cause  of  it.  This  truth  is  so  clear,  and  so 
needful  for  the  peace  of  the  soul,  that  our  adversaries  are  con- 
strained to  join  hands  with  it,  when  they  consider  it  calmly, 
without  the  excitement  and  warmth  of  dispute.  And  to  close 
the  subject,  I  will  quote  the  words  of  a  cardinal  of  the  Romish 
church,  celebrated  in  his  age  for  the  purity  of  his  doctrine, 
the  integrity  of  his  manners,  the  nobility  of  his  birth,  and  the 
various  offices  of  trust  which  he  discharged* 

"  We  ought  to  rest  upon  the  righteousness  that  is  given  us 
in  Christ,  as  on  a  sure  and  solid  foundation,  and  not  upon  the 
grace  or  holiness  inherent  in  us.  For  as  for  this  inherent 
righteousness,  it  is  but  in  its  infancy,  and  very  imperfect,  and 
cannot  prevent  us  from  sinning  and  transgressing  continually 
in  many  things  ;  consequently  we  have  need  to  pray  to  God 
daily  for  pardon.  And  therefore,  clothed  with  our  own  right- 
eousness, we  cannot  stand  before  God  just  and  holy  as  the 

*  Coutarin  ou  Justification,  p.  572. 


332  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XX. 

children  of  Christ  should  be.  But  the  righteousness  of  Christ, 
which  is  bestowed  on  us,  is  a  true  and  perfect  righteousness, 
complete  in  the  sight  of  God,  in  which  can  be  nothing  offen- 
sive, nothing  unpleasing  to  him.  It  is,  then,  upon  this  only 
secure  foundation  that  we  ought  to  lean,  believing  that  by  this 
alone  we  are  justified,  that  is,  accounted  righteous  and  holy 
before  God.  This  is  that  precious  treasure  which  christians 
sell  all  they  have  to  procure.  This  is  the  pearl  of  great  price, 
which  whoever  finds  leaves  all  to  possess  ;  as  says  Paul,  "  I 
count  all  things  but  dung  that  I  may  win  Christ,  and  be  found 
in  him,  not  having  my  own  righteousness,  which  is  of  the  law, 
but  that  which  is  by  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ."  And  again, 
"  We  see  by  experience  that  the  more  holy  men  advance  in 
holiness,  the  more  are  they  dissatisfied  with  themselves,  and 
the  more  do  they  perceive  their  need  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his 
righteousness  ;  and  therefore  they  renounce  themselves,  and 
trust  on  Christ  alone  :  because  their  eyes  are  more  enlightened 
to  behold  the  imperfection  of  their  obedience  and  inherent 
righteousness;  and  the  more  clear  and  distinct  their  sight  is, 
the  more  spots  and  blemishes  do  they  discover  in  themselves  ; 
so  that  at  length  they  are  brought  to  rely  entirely  on  the  grace 
and  righteousness  of  Christ,  instead  of  leaning  in  any  degree 
upon  their  own  holiness  and  merit." 

Such  is  the  acknowledgment  made  by  this  writer,  of  the 
truth  of  the  doctrine  of  justification  by  the  grace  and  merit  of 
Christ  alone.  Ah,  God  forbid,  beloved  brethren,  that  we 
should  ever  be  drawn  aside  into  error  by  the  persuasions  of 
others,  so  as  to  be  induced  to  depart  from  so  holy  and  essential 
a  doctrine. 

II.  I  must  now  return  to  the  apostle,  who  goes  on  to  re- 
count the  excellent  fruits  of  this  righteousness  of  God  which 
he  possessed  in  Christ  ;  saying,  "  that  I  may  know  him,  and 
the  power  of  his  resurrection."  I  am  not  ignorant  that  the 
apostle  says  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  "  Christ  was  raised 
for  our  justification;"  meaning  that  by  his  glorious  resurrec- 
tion he  has  shown  us  that  the  atonement  made  by  his  death 
was  perfect  and  entire,  and  as  such  accepted  by  the  Father  ; 
his  resurrection  being,  as  it  were,  a  token  of  complete  acquit- 
tance for  the  payment  of  our  ransom  :  and  therefore  what 
Paul  says  in  my  text  of  the  power  of  his  resurrection,  may 
relate  to  that  faith  which  it  is  capable  of  producing  in  us, 
whereby  we  are  justified.*  But  it  appears  that  the  apostle 
having  spoken  sufficiently  of  our  righteousness  in  Christ,  these 
words  more  properly  relate  to  the  efficacy  of  his  resurrection 
for  our  sanctification,  by  raising  us  from  the  sepulchre  of  sin. 
For  Paul  attributes  this  effect  to  it  in  many  parts  of  his  wri- 

*The  Ordinal  Contarin. 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  333 

tings,  teaching  us  that  "  we  are  buried  with  Christ  by  baptism 
unto  death:  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  again  from  the  dead 
by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  so  we  also  should  walk  in  newness 
of  life,"  Rom.  vi.;  and  "  if  we  have  been  planted  together  in 
the  likeness  of  his  death,  we  shall  be  also  in  the  likeness  of  his 
resurrection."  Peter  also  tells  us  that  "  we  have  been  begotten 
again  unto  a  lively  hope,  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ 
from  the  dead  ;  and  that  by  this  resurrection  we  have  the  an- 
swer of  a  good  conscience  towards  God,"  1  Pet.  i.  3;  iii.  21  ;  in 
which  he  makes  the  principal  virtue  of  our  baptism  to  con- 
sist. And  therefore  it  is  that  when  he  would  describe  our 
sanctification,  Paul  makes  use  frequently  of  these  grand  ex- 
pressions, that  "  we  are  risen  with  him  through  the  faith  of  the 
operation  of  God,  who  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead,"  Col.  ii. 
12;  and  he  says  not  only  that  we  are  "raised  together  with 
him,  but  that  we  are  seated  with  him  in  the  heavenly 
places,"  Eph.  ii.  6.  On  this  account  it  is  that  he  so  beauti- 
fully exhorts  the  believers  at  Colosse:  "If  then  you  are 
risen  with  Christ,  seek  those  things  which  are  above,  where 
Christ  sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God,"  Col.  iii.  1.  In  fact, 
the  resurrection  of  Christ  from  the  dead  has  detached  the 
hearts  of  believers  from  this  world,  in  which  they  were  for- 
merly buried.  It  has  manifested  the  sovereign  love  which  God 
bears  to  them,  and  his  design  of  clothing  them  with  his  own 
glory,  of  taking  from  them  all  that  is  carnal  and  earthly,  and 
of  converting  them  into  celestial  and  divine  beings.  He  has 
shown  them  in  the  person  of  Christ,  the  model  of  their  life, 
and  the  only  real  good,  which  ought  thenceforward  to  be  all 
the  desire  of  their  souls  ;  for  by  faith  beholding  him  rising 
from  the  grave,  laden  with  the  spoils  of  death,  and  crowned 
with  glory,  surely  it  is  impossible  but  that  this  manifestation 
of  the  power  and  goodness  of  God  must  constrain  them  to  aim 
at  the  like  resurrection,  to  place  all  their  hopes  and  affections 
in  him,  and  to  find  their  highest  joy  in  communion  with  him  ; 
and  fulfilling  his  commands  by  following  his  example.  This, 
my  friends,  is  "  the  power  of  his  resurrection  "  which  the  apos- 
tle desired  to  know  ;  that  is,  to  feel  by  experience  its  sovereign 
efficacy.  For  he  speaks  not  here  of  a  dead  and  naked  know- 
ledge ;  of  an  idea  conceived  in  the  mind  without  any  impres- 
sion made  upon  the  heart.  But  according  to  the  usual  ?tyle 
of  scripture,  he  means  to  express  a  lively  knowledge,  which 
is  confirmed  by  feeling  and  experience.  And  the  addition  of 
this  to  the  righteousness  of  God  by  Jesus  Christ  is  very  suit- 
able. For  the  mercenary  spirit  of  those  against  whom  he  ar- 
gues, and  of  all  their  disciples,  leading  them  to  believe  that 
there  can  be  no  inducement  to  good  works,  except  the  reward 
which  (they  suppose)  they  merit,  they  therefore  imagine  that 
holiness  is  at  an  end  when  justification  by  the  free  grace  of 
God  in  Christ  is  established. 


334  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XX. 

Therefore,  to  prevent  these  people  from  calumniating  the 
doctrine  of  the  apostle,  and  imputing  to  him  that  in  teaching 
the  righteousness  of  Christ  by  faith  he  opened  a  door  to  sin, 
he  adds  that  such  was  not  the  design  of  God  in  justifying  us 
freely,  and  that  the  righteousness  of  faith  is  given  us  in  order 
that  we  may  go  on  to  "  know  the  power  of  the  resurrection 
of  the  Lord."  In  the  same  manner,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Ro- 
mans, after  having  at  some  length  magnificently  established 
the  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith  without  works,  he  adds, 
"  What  shall  we  say  then  ?  shall  we  continue  in  sin  that  grace 
may  abound  ?  God  forbid."  To  which  answer  he  adds  also 
the  efficacy  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ  for  our  sanctification. 

And  in  this  our  day,  is  not  our  doctrine  misunderstood  and 
calumniated  in  the  same  way  ?  do  they  not  say,  Since  you  are 
justified  by  faith  alone,  what  inducement  have  you  to  perform 
good  works  ?  But,  O  ye  adversaries,  it  is  to  perform  good 
works  that  I  am  justified.  This  divine  righteousness  of  Christ 
has  been  communicated  to  me,  in  order  that  I  may  be  trans- 
formed into  his  image  ;  that  I  may  know  the  power  of  his 
resurrection,  and  that  I  may  be  like  him,  a  new  creature  ;  that 
I  may  love  God,  not  to  lay  him  under  obligation  to  me,  (far, 
far  from  my  soul  such  a  preposterous  notion,)  but  to  acquit 
myself  in  a  small  degree  of  the  immense  debt  I  owe  him.  I 
love  him  because  he  has  loved  me,  because  God  is  love,  and 
because  he  has  sent  his  Son  Jesus  to  die  and  rise  again  for  me. 
Will  my  obedience  be  less  acceptable  to  him  because  I  think 
not  of  merit  in  rendering  it  ?  Will  he  reject  it  because  the 
cross  and  resurrection  of  Christ  inspires  it,  and  not  an  inten- 
tion of  deserving  a  reward  ?  You  allow  that  the  holiness  of 
the  blessed,  of  those  who  are  already  in  heaven,  and  of  those 
who  will  be  there  after  the  resurrection,  does  not  justify  them, 
or  merit  for  them  a  continuation  of  their  glory.  Why  then 
do  you  blame  me  for  believing  that  the  commencement  of  the 
rudiments  of  holiness  are  of  the  same  nature  as  its  completion 
and  perfection  ?  Why  may  I  not  serve  God  here  on  earth  in 
the  same  manner  as  I  hope  to  serve  him  hereafter  in  heaven, 
with  a  pure,  a  free,  and  a  truly  filial  affection  ?  And  such  af- 
fection, far  from  presuming  to  acquire  any  right  of  reward  from 
so  good  and  so  merciful  a  Father,  must  after  all  its  efforts  re- 
main dissatisfied  with  itself,  and  be  content  to  ascribe  all  it  has 
been  able  to  do  to  his  free  grace  alone. 

III.  It  is  again  to  confound  these  false  teachers  of  works  that 
Paul  adds,  in  the  third  place,  that  he  desired,  with  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ,  to  know  "  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings, 
being  made  conformante  unto  his  death." 

These  people  against  whom  he  argues  boasted  of  enhancing 
the  value  of  good  works  by  the  opinion  of  their  merit,  and 
pretended  also  that  believers  were  bound  to  the  observance  of 


rui.P.   III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  335 

legal  ceremonies,  such  as  abstinence  from  certain  meats,  dis- 
tinction of  days,  &c,  as  plainly  appears  by  the  Epistle  to  the 
Colossians.  And  you  know  that  at  this  day  those  who  main- 
tain justification  by  works  support  their  opinion  in  two  ways  : 
by  accusing  the  doctrine  of  grace  of  cutting  the  very  nerves 
of  holiness  ;  and  by  commanding  various  carnal  observances 
of  fasts,  of  feasts,  voluntary  poverty,  pilgrimages,  and  such- 
like devotions,  which  they  practise  (they  say)  for  the  mortifi- 
cation of  the  flesh  ;  so  much  the  same  at  all  times  is  the  spirit 
of  superstition.  To  the  efficacy  of  their  pretended  doctrine 
of  merit  by  works,  Paul  opposes  the  power  of  Christ's  resur- 
rection, as  being  incomparably  more  capable  of  sanctifying  us. 
To  their  legal  exercises  he  opposes  the  part  we  have  in  the  af- 
flictions of  the  Lord,  suffering  in  his  name,  and  after  his  ex- 
ample, in  various  ways.  These  (he  observes)  are  my  fasts  and 
my  mortifications;  the  gospel  fast,  predicted  by  the  Saviour 
to  his  disciples,  when  he  warned  them  that  after  the  Bridegroom 
should  be  taken  from  them,  they  should  fast  and  mourn,  Matt. 
ix.  And  the  apostle  explains  this  discipline  to  which  we  are 
subject  during  our  earthly  pilgrimage  in  his  usual  splendid 
manner,  calling  it  "  to  know"  (that  is,  as  we  have  already  said, 
to  understand  by  experience)  "  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings, 
being  made  conformable  to  his  death."  The  sufferings  of  the 
Lord  are  the  things  which  he  has  suffered  for  us,  and  especially 
upon  the  cross,  as  appears  by  the  apostle's  adding,  "  being  made 
conformable  unto  his  death."  These  sufferings  may  be  con- 
sidered in  two  ways  :  first,  as  expiatory  of  our  sins,  borne  by 
Jesus  Christ  in  our  stead  in  his  quality  of  Surety.  And  of 
these  we  are  partakers,  inasmuch  as,  embracing  them  by  faith, 
God  imputes  them  to  us,  as  though  we  ourselves  had  suffered 
in  our  own  persons  ;  and  he  communicates  to  us  the  fruit 
thereof,  namely,  that  divine  and  perfect  righteousness  whereof 
we  have  spoken  above  ;  by  which,  absolved  from  all  our  sins, 
we  become  acceptable  to  God  as  his  dear  children,  and  can 
never  more  be  called  to  endure  any  meritorious  or  expiatory 
sufferings  as  were  those  of  the  Saviour.  But  these  afflictions 
besides  this  first  and  primary  object,  have  yet  another;  inas- 
much as  they  are  the  models,  the  patterns  which  Jesus  has  left 
us  to  follow,  having  submitted  to  them  with  this  view,  as  our 
elder  Brother  ;  and  inasmuch  as  they  are  the  first-fruits  of 
death,  showing  us  the  path  by  which  it  is  the  good  pleasure  of 
the  Father  to  conduct  us  to  salvation.  And  thus  we  are  par- 
takers with  him,  being  called  to  suffer  after  his  example.  And 
this  fellowship  may  also  be  considered  in  two  ways  :  first,  as 
mterior  ;  second,  as  e.rterior.  The  first  is  the  mortification  of 
sin  within  us,  the  crucifixion,  so  to  speak,  of  the  old  nature 
upon  the  cross  of  Christ,  transpiercing  it  with  his  thorns  and 
nails,  drinking  of  his  vinegar,  and  thus  putting  it  to  death  by 


336  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XX. 

degrees  ;  in  which  the  passion  of  the  Saviour  is  represented 
within  our  hearts.  And  in  this  sense  Paul  is  to  be  understood, 
when  he  says  "  that  we  have  been  planted  together  in  the  like- 
ness of  his  death  ;"  and  "  that  our  old  man  is  crucified  with 
him,  that  the  body  of  sin  might  be  destroyed,  that  henceforth 
we  should  not  serve  sin,"  Rom.  vi.  5,  6.  In  the  same  manner, 
in  another  place,  he  tells  us  that  "  he  is  crucified  with  Christ," 
and  "that  they  who  are  in  Christ  have  crucified  the  flesh  with 
its  affections  and  lusts,"  Gal.  ii.  20  ;  v.  24. 

The  second  fellowship  in  the  sufferings  of  the  Lord,  and 
which  we  have  called  exterior,  is  the  part  we  have  in  the  afflic- 
tions and  persecutions  of  the  church,  for  the  confirmation  of 
the  truth  of  God,  for  the  glory  of  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  for 
the  edification  of  men  ;  according  to  that  we  are  taught  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Romans,  that  we  are  "predestinated  to  be  con- 
formed to  his  image,"  chap.  viii.  29,  evidently  in  this  respect 
of  suffering  ;  and  again,  "  All  who  will  live  godly  in  Christ 
Jesus  shall  suffer  persecution,"  2  Tim.  iii.  12.  This  is  properly 
the  "  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,"  of  which  the  apostle  is 
speaking  in  the  text;  and  he  also  mentions  "a  conformity  to 
his  death,"  because  it  was  an  image  of  that  which  he  suffered, 
when  he  endured  with  humility  and  patience  the  death  to  which 
he  was  condemned  by  the  persecutors  ;  nobly  finishing  his 
course,  and  sealing  the  truth  with  his  own  blood. 

Behold,  then,  the  two  principal  fruits  of  our  justification  by 
Christ  Jesus,  deeply  to  feel  and  experience,  first,  the  power  of 
his  resurrection  ;  and  secondly,  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings, 
being  made  conformable  unto  his  death.  This  is  the  path  by 
which  God  conducts  us  to  the  third  and  highest  point  of  all 
happiness  :  it  being  very  certain  that  if  we  suffer  and  die  with 
Christ,  we  shall  live  and  reign  with  him.  And  this  the  apos- 
tle teaches  us  in  the  last  clause  of  the  text,  adding,  "  If  by  any 
means  I  might  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the  dead." 

IY.  It  is  quite  clear  that  by  this  expression  he  does  not 
simply  intend  the  general  resurrection  of  the  dead.  For, 
speaking  literally,  all  men  shall  rise  again,  even  the  wicked, 
though  in  shame  and  ignominy.  But  he  especially  intends 
the  resurrection  of  believers,  with  all  the  glory  and  blessed- 
ness with  which  they  are  to  be  crowned  ;  and  our  Lord  him- 
self often  uses  these  words  in  the  same  sense,  promising  to 
those  that  believe  in  him,  and  eat  his  flesh  and  drink  his  blood, 
that,  "  he  will  raise  them  up  at  the  last  day,"  John  vi.  39  ;  that 
is  to  say,  that  he  will  give  unto  them  eternal  life.  And,  in  fact, 
since  the  term  resurrection  properly  signifies  a  re-establishing 
of  that  which  was  decayed  and  fallen  to  pieces,  the  word  is 
hardly  suitable  to  the  reappearing  of  the  wicked,  who  only 
rise  from  the  tomb  to  be  hurried  into  the  abyss  of  destruction. 

The  enemies  of  the  doctrine  of  the  assurance  of  believers 


CHAP.  III.]        THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  337 

conclude  from  this  clause  in  the  text,  "  if  that  by  any  means  I 
miedit  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,"  that  Paul  was 
not  certain  of  his  salvation,  since  he  speaks  of  it  doubtfully 
and  with  an  "  if."  But  how  can  that  agree  with  what  he 
says  elsewhere?  "I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed,  and  am 
persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed 
unto  him  against  that  day,"  2  Tim.  i.  12;  and,  "Henceforth 
there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  righteousness,  which  the 
Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day,"  2  Tim. 
iv.  8.  Again,  "  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor 
angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor 
things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature, 
shall  be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,"  Rom.  viii.  38,  39.  These,  and  similar 
passages,  are  so  clear,  that  even  those  who  object  to  the  doctrine 
of  assurance  except  Paul  from  the  number  of  doubters,  sup- 
posing that  by  a  special  privilege  he  had  been  assured  of  his 
perseverance  in  divine  grace.  What  are  we  to  say  then  to  the 
passage  before  us  ?  Dear  brethren,  we  must  say,  first,  that  the 
expression  used  here  of  "  if  by  any  means"  does  not  neces- 
sarily signify  the  doubtfulness  and  uncertainty  of  an  event, 
but  it  rather  denotes  the  difficulty  as  well  as  the  diversity  of 
ways  and  means  by  which  it  is  to  be  brought  about.  And  we 
must  add,  secondly,  that  which  takes  away  the  whole  difficulty, 
namely,  that  one  of  the  most  learned  Greek  grammarians  re- 
marked several  centuries  since,  that  the  best  and  most  ancient 
writers  in  that  language  use  the  term  which  the  apostle  here 
employs  simply  to  signify,  in  order  to,  to  the  end  that  ;  and  he 
adds,  that  those  who  lived  in  the  earliest  ages  were  familiar 
with  this  expression  :  as,  "  I  hasten,  if  by  any  means  I  may 
finish  this,"*  signifying  simply,  "  I  hasten  in  order  to  finish 
this."  From  this  you  will  see  that  there  is  no  real  difficulty 
in  this  passage  ;  the  apostle,  by  the  words,  "  if  that  by  any 
means  I  might  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,"  not 
intending  to  express  any  doubt  or  distrust,  but  simply  the  de- 
sire and  endeavour  of  his  mind,  exactly  as  if  he  had  said,  "  in 
order  to  attain  to  the  resurrection." 

Such,  my  brethren,  is  the  gain  which  the  apostle  found  in 
Christ.  First,  he  obtained  a  perfect  and  assured  salvation,  a 
righteousness  of  God  by  faith  of  Jesus  Christ.  Secondly,  a 
blessed  and  happy  experience  of  the  power  of  the  resurrection 
of  his  Lord.  And,  thirdly,  the  glorious  fellowship  of  his  suf- 
ferings, in  order  to  attain  at  last  to  the  resurrection  and  eternal 
life.  Judge,  then,  if,  to  possess  so  great  an  abundance  of  pre- 
cious things,  an  eternal  and  solid  peace  with  God,  the  honour 

*  See  also  Eustathius  in  Iliad  i//,  p.  1286,  and  in  Iliad  &>,  p.  1350,  Edit.  Eom. 
See  in  10.  p.  1350.  65.  and  p.  1016.  1.  46  ;  and  in  Odys.  3.  p.  1556.  1.  2. 
43 


338  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XX. 

of  dying  and  being  raised  again  with  Christ,  and  of  entering 
at  length  into  his  glorious  kingdom,  he  was  not  right  in  re- 
nouncing the  pretended  merit  of  Phariseeism,  and  the  cere- 
monies of  the  Jewish  superstition.     IVJy  beloved  brethren,  let 
us  imitate  the  wisdom  of  this  holy  apostle  ;  and  let  us  leave 
all  to  embrace  Jesus  Christ.     Let  us  spoil  ourselves  of  all  that 
we  possess,  in  order  to  be  clothed  with  this  precious  Lamb, 
and  be  willing  to  lose  ourselves  that  we  may  be  found  in  him, 
not  having  our  own  righteousness,  but  his.    Our  righteousness, 
how  perfect  soever  it  may  appear,  is  soiled  with  many  spots, 
and  is  totally  incapable  of  sustaining  the  examination  of  the 
piercing  eyes  of  divine  justice,  which  discovers  blemishes  in 
the  sun  itself,  and  which  "charges  the  very  angels  with  folly." 
There  is  no  righteousness  but  that  of  Christ  that  can  be  ac- 
ceptable to  the  Almighty.   Clothed  in  that,  I  may  boldly  appear 
before  the  throne  of  God,  without  fearing  either  the  accusations 
of  the  enemy,  for  what  can  he  say  against  the  blood  and  obe- 
dience of  the  eternal  Son  ?    or  the  thunders  of  the  law,  for 
with  what  can  the  law  threaten  me,  since  its  curse  has  been 
abolished  by  the  cross  of  my  Lord  ?  or  the  horrors  of  death, 
since  my  Saviour  has  disarmed  it  of  all  that  was  terrible  to 
me.     With  this  righteousness  I  shall  enter  heaven,  and  con- 
verse with  angels  without  a  sensation  of  shame.     With  it  I 
shall  obtain  all  the  promised  blessings  of  God,  his  Spirit,  his 
paradise,  his  eternity.     The  Father  can  refuse  nothing  to   a 
righteousness  which  he  himself  ordained,  and  which  has  been 
proved   perfectly  acceptable  to  him  by  his  having   already 
crowned  it,  in  the  person  of  our  Head,  with  all  the  glory  of 
his  heavenly  kingdom. 

And  here,  I  entreat  you,  say  not,  Who  shall  descend  into 
the  deep,  or  who  shall  mount  up  to  the  heavens,  to  bring  me 
this  precious   righteousness  ?   This  righteousness  is  not,  like 
that  of  the  law,  difficult   and  laborious,  or,  to  speak  truly, 
impossible  to  obtain,  being  altogether  beyond  our  reach  ;  but 
it  is  nigh  unto  us,  in  our  mouth,  and  in  our  heart.     It  is,  says 
the  apostle,  "  by  faith."     "  If  thou  confess  with  thy  mouth  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  believe  with  thy  heart  that  God  has  raised 
him  from  the  dead,  thou  shalt  be  saved."    Only  take  care  that 
your  faith  is  lively  and  sincere,  that  it  is  not  a  mere  illusion,  a 
fancy,  an  idea,  but  a  firm  persuasion,  an  entire  assurance  of 
the  truth  of  the  gospel.     Let  it  be  a  faith  like  that  of  Abra- 
ham, and  of  the  apostle.   Whoso  has  this  faith  has  Jesus  Christ 
dwelling  within  him,  and  no  man  has  the  Son  without  being  a 
partaker  of  his  righteousness,  of  his  life,  and  of  his  salvation. 
It  is  for  this  that  the  righteousness  of  Christ  is  given  us,  that 
he  may  dwell  within  us,  and  strengthen  us  in  order  that  we 
may  know  the  power  of  his  resurrection,  as  the  apostle  de- 
clares.    Far  from  us  be  the  ideas  of  those  profane  persons  who 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  339 

abuse  the  doctrines  of  grace,  and  turn  them  into  licentiousness. 
Such  people  have  never  known  the  righteousness  or  faith  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  If  they  were  members  of  his  body, 
thev  would  be  animated  by  his  Spirit,  they  would  be  dead  and 
raised  again  with  him,  they  would  live  his  life,  that  is,  not  an 
earthly  and  carnal,  but  a  heavenly  and  spiritual  life.  And  al- 
though, by  God's  grace,  our  doctrine  is  entirely  innocent  of 
their  misfortune  and  crime,  rejecting  certainly  the  supposition 
of  merit,  but  in  such  a  manner  that  it  retains  and  establishes 
the  necessity  of  true  sanctification,  yet,  nevertheless,  as  error 
and  superstition  continually  lay  this  blame  to  our  charge,  as 
they  formerly  did  to  Paul,  let  us  study  with  the  utmost  care  to 
refute  their  calumny,  not  with  the  pen  or  tongue,  but  with 
that  which  is  much  more  effectual,  namely,  the  holiness  of 
our  lives.  Let  our  life  be  a  manifest  proof  of  our  faith. 
Let  our  conduct  be  so  pure  that  our  adversaries  may  be 
constrained  to  recognize  in  us  the  Spirit  of  sanctification. 
Let  the  "  power  of  Christ's  resurrection"  shine  forth  through 
us.  Christian,  the  power  of  this  divine  resurrection  can  never 
be  experienced  while  you  are  buried  in  the  sepulchre  of  vice, 
having  your  heart  wallowing  in  the  mud  of  voluptuousness  and 
carnal  delights  ;  admiring  the  vanities  of  this  world,  and  seek- 
ing your  happiness  therein  ;  or  sighing  after  gold  and  silver 
with  your  affections  swallowed  up  in  the  mines  from  whence 
those  metals  are  drawn.  The  resurrection  of  Christ  detaches  all 
who  feel  its  power  from  such  miserable  follies.  It  makes  them 
breathe  the  air  of  heaven,  and  see  the  light  of  the  glory  of 
God.  It  fills  them  with  divine  love,  and  thereby  purifies  their 
affections  and  desires.  It  changes  their  habits,  clothes  them 
with  light,  and  produces  a  heavenly  life  and  walk  ;  in  a  word, 
it  transforms  them  into  the  image  of  Jesus  their  Lord. 

Let  us  then,  dear  brethren,  seek  to  receive  this  divine  power 
in  our  hearts.  Let  us  attentively  contemplate  this  beautiful 
and  glorious  life,  which  he  has  placed  before  our  eyes  by  rising 
from  the  grave  holy  and  immortal,  and  in  which  is  everything 
that  can  be  desired  to  render  us  perfectly  happy.  And  having 
seen  so  beautiful  an  object,  how  could  we  have  any  affection 
for  the  trifles  of  earth  ?  O  unhappy  earth,  where  time  and 
death  consume  all  things,  none  but  Christ  my  Saviour  has 
escaped  thy  vanities  !  Thy  chains  were  unable  to  enslave  him. 
He  broke  thy  bonds,  and  instead  of  the  weak  animal  life  which 
thou  didst  take  from  him,  he  has  obtained  another,  divine  and 
incorruptible,  which  has  no  need  of  thy  elements,  no  fear  of 
thy  changes  and  alterations.  And  he  has  not  taken  this  divine 
life  for  himself  alone.  He  will  communicate  it  to  us  also,  (for 
we  are  his,)  but  according  to  the  method  arranged  by  his  wis- 
dom, and  of  which  he  has  given  us  an  example  in  himself. 
For  he  was  tempted  ;  he  died  before  he  could  revive.     And 


34:0  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXL 

herein  is  he  our  model.  Let  us  not  fear,  then,  to  travel  that 
road  wherein  his  footsteps  can  be  traced.  Let  us  be  partakers, 
not  with  patience  merely,  but  with  joy,  of  his  sufferings  and 
of  his  death.  Let  us  believe  that  these  sufferings,  and  this 
death,  will  add  to  our  glory  and  happiness,  since  they  render 
us  conformable  to  the  Son  of  God,  and  conduct  us  to  the  en- 
joyment of  his  immortality.  What  if  the  flesh  find  them  dif- 
ficult to  bear  ;  they  are  sent  to  mortify  it,  to  disturb  its  perni- 
cious pleasures,  to  extinguish  its  passions,  and  to  humble  its 
pride.  They  also  exercise  our  piety,  they  awaken  and  revive 
our  faith,  they  inflame  our  affections,  quicken  us  in  prayer, 
and  produce  in  us  a  deadness  to  the  world,  and  more  ardent 
desires  after  heaven.  They  try  our  patience,  and  prove  our 
faith  in  Christ.  They  confound  Satan,  and  cause  angels  to  re- 
joice. They  glorify  God,  and  edify  men.  And,  after  all,  they  will 
soon  be  over.  Jesus  was  but  six  hours  upon  the  cross,  and 
now  reigns  for  ever  in  heaven.  Let  us  then  cheerfully  support 
these  light  afflictions  which  quickly  pass  away,  that  we  may 
attain  to  the  resurrection,  the  blessed  end  of  all  our  sorrows 
and  trials,  and  the  joyful  commencement  of  our  true  happi- 
ness ;  when  our  glorious  and  gracious  Lord,  who  now  gives  us 
his  righteousness,  and  makes  us  to  know  the  power  of  his  re- 
surrection, and  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  will  give  us  a 
share  in  his  glory,  transforming  our  bodies  into  the  likeness 
of  his  own,  putting  a  crown  upon  our  heads,  clothing  us  with 
immortality,  and  granting  us  an  everlasting  abode  in  his 
palace  ;  allowing  us  to  eat  at  his  table,  and  to  live  and  reign  in 
his  court  with  him  and  his  holy  angels  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen. 


SERMON  XXI. 

VERSES   12 — 14. 


Not  as  though  I  had  already  attained,  either  were  already  'perfect: 
hut  I  follow  after,  if  that  I  may  apprehend  that  for  which  also 
I  am  apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus.  Brethren,  I  count  not  my- 
self to  have  apprehended:  hut  this  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting 
those  thing 3  which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those 
things  which  are  hefore,  I  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize 
of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 

In  the  books  written  by  the  ancient  Greeks,  which  have 
been  preserved  from  destruction,  we  read  that  one  of  the  most 


CHAP.   III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  341 

esteemed  amusements  of  that  nation  was  the  sight  of  the  games 
and  combats  which  were  celebrated  from  time  to  time  with 
great  solemnity.  Companies  of  persons  were  established 
among  them,  the  best  qualified  to  judge  of  the  trials  of 
strength  made  in  the  circus  ;  they  named  the  reward  proposed 
to  the  conqueror  ;  they  fixed  the  day,  and  appointed  the  place 
for  the  combats,  to  which  multitudes  came  from  all  parts  of 
Greece,  who  regarded  the  games  with  extravagant  delight,  and 
honoured  those  who  excelled  with  acclamation  and  applause. 
The  victors  were  crowned  by  the  hands  of  the  judges  in  the 
presence  of  all  their  countrymen.  Their  names  were  engraven 
on  plates  of  brass,  and  registered  by  command  of  the  magis- 
trates in  the  public  archives,  to  mark  the  time.  They  were 
conducted  back,  and  received  by  their  fellow  citizens,  with  as 
much  pomp  as  the  generals  and  commanders  of  armies  in  their 
triumphs,  and  they  and  their  descendants  enjoyed  ample  pri- 
vileges, with  which  the  public  had  honoured  them. 

Dear  brethren,  God  invites  us  to-day  to  a  spectacle  much 
more  beautiful  than  those  which  I  have  described  ;  to  a  com- 
bat, instituted,  not  by  vain  men,  but  by  the  eternal  Father,  in 
which  is  to  be  seen,  not  a  Greek  nourished  and  exercised  in  the 
halls  and  plains  of  this  world,  but  an  apostle  trained  in  a  hea- 
venly school  ;  running  a  race,  not  level  and  smooth,  but  rough 
and  difficult,  and  strewed  with  thorns  ;  not  before  the  eyes  of 
a  single  nation,  but  in  the  sight  of  God,  of  angels,  and  of  men; 
not  for  a  corruptible  crown  of  leaves  and  flowers  which  fade 
in  a  day,  but  for  a  crown  of  immortal  life.  Bring  hither,  then, 
your  mind  awakened  and  purified.  Consider  the  strength,  the 
valour,  the  courage,  the  address,  the  zeal  of  this  divine  cham- 
pion. Be  careful  to  observe  all  his  steps,  not  just  to  feed  your 
eyes  with  a  vain  amusement,  which  was  all  the  fruit  reaped  by 
the  Greeks  at  their  spectacles  ;  but  rather  in  order  to  imitate 
the  course  of  this  holy  man,  to  enter  the  same  career,  to  follow 
him  courageously,  to  place  your  feet  on  the  traces  of  his  foot- 
steps, and  arriving  with  him  at  the  goal,  to  receive  with  him, 
from  the  hands  of  the  eternal  Judge,  the  glorious  reward  pro- 
vided for  the  victor. 

This  same  Paul,  who  formerly  undertook,  and  so  happily 
completed,  this  celestial  course,  represents  it  to  us  to-day  in 
the  text  which  you  have  heard.  His  design  is  to  induce  the 
Philippians  to  embrace  Jesus  Christ  alone,  to  content  them- 
selves with  him,  and,  without  lending  their  ears  or  hearts  to 
any  other,  to  fix  and  concentrate  all  their  thoughts,  affections, 
and  desires  on  this  Prince  of  life,  convinced  that  in  possessing 
him  they  possess  everything.  To  persuade  them  to  this,  he 
sets  before  them  his  own  example,  showing  them  how,  re- 
nouncing all  other  things,  he  had  given  himself  entirely  to 
Christ,  despoiling  himself  of  all  tbat  he  possessed  in  order  to 


342  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.   XXI. 

be  found  in  that  sovereign  Lord,  clothed  with  his  righteousness, 
transformed  into  his  image,  dead  and  raised  again  with  him. 
He,  however,  adds  here  that  he  had  not  arrived  at  his  desired 
end  ;  he  had  not  yet  comprehended  in  all  its  fulness  the  power 
of  this  divine  resurrection  ;  so  deep,  so  grand  is  this  study,  so 
inexhaustible  are  the  riches  of  this  knowledge.  For  which 
reason  he  subjoins  that  he  is  always  endeavouring  to  go*  for- 
ward, and  that,  leaving  the  things  that  are  behind,  he  reaches 
forth  incessantly  towards  the  goal,  every  day  making  some 
advance  in  his  heavenward  course,  in  order  at  length  to  receive 
the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Thus  you  see  how  diligently  it  behoved  the  Philippian  con- 
verts to  study  the  gospel,  since  their  master,  the  great  apostle, 
who  was  so  far  beyond  them,  had  not  been  able,  with  all  his 
zeal  and  devotion,  to  exhaust  its  riches  ;  and  how  it  also  be- 
hoved them  to  forget,  like  him,  the  things  that  were  behind, 
and  to  press  toward  the  mark,  whereby  they  might  attain  the 
prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  •*■ 

But  this  lesson,  my  brethren,  belongs  to  us,  as  much  or  even 
more  than  to  the  Philippians,  because,  if  we  compare  our  pro- 
gress with  theirs,  it  will  be  found  that  they  were  more  ad- 
vanced than  we  are  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  in  the  knowledge 
of  his  gospel.  Let  us,  then,  listen  attentively,  that  we  may 
practise  carefully  ;  and  in  order  more  fully  to  comprehend  our 
subject,  we  will  consider  separately,  with  the  blessing  of  God, 
the  two  points  which  here  present  themselves  to  us.  The  first 
is  the  declaration  of  the  apostle,  that  he  has  not  yet  arrived  at 
perfection,  contained  in  these  words  :  "  Not  that  I  have  already 
attained,  either  am  already  perfect.  Brethren,  I  count  not 
myself  to  have  apprehended."  The  second,  which  regards  the 
efforts  he  was  making  to  arrive  at  perfection,  is  expressed  in 
the  following  words  :  "  But  I  follow  after,  if  that  I  may  appre- 
hend that  for  which  also  I  am  apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus. 
One  thing  I  do,  forgetting  those  things  which  are  behind,  and 
reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before,  I  press 
toward  the  mark,  for  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus." 

I.  As  for  the  first  point,  it  explains  itself,  as  you  must  per- 
ceive, in  two  ways.  First,  in  these  words,  which  relate  to  the 
verses  preceding,  "  Not  as  though  I  had  already  attained,  either 
were  already  perfect."  For  having  protested  above  that  he 
had  renounced  all  things  to  be  "found  in  Christ,  having  the 
righteousness  of  faith  ;  that  he  might  know  him,  and  the 
power  of  his  resurrection,  and  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings, 
and  that  he  might  attain  unto  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  ;" 
(words  which  allude  as  well  to  the  sanctification  as  to  the  glory 
which  Christ  gives  to  the  saints  ;)  lest  any  should  imagine  that 
he  already  possessed  these  things  in  full  perfection,  he  antiei- 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  343 

pates  tins  idea,  and  declares  that  he  thus  spoke,  not  to  signify 
that  he  had  already  apprehended,  or  that  he  was  already  per- 
fect, but  rather  that  he  was  following  on  to  apprehend  them 
perfectly.  The  same  truth  is  then  again  advanced,  though  ex- 
pressed in  a  somewhat  different  manner;  for,  addressing  more 
especially  the  Philippians,  "  Brethren,  (says  he,)  as  for  me,  I 
count  not  myself  to  have  apprehended."  It  is  clear  that  in 
both  these  sentences  the  apostle  meant  to  assure  them  that  he 
had  not  yet  apprehended,  and  was  not  yet  perfect. 

Will  it  be  asked  what  it  was  which  he  had  not  yet  appre- 
hended or  understoood  ?  It  is  true  that  in  the  words  imme- 
diately preceding  he  was  speaking  of  the  resurrection  of  the 
dead.  But  it  does  not  appear  that  he  alludes  to  that  ;  for  "  to 
have  apprehended  the  resurrection  of  the  dead  "  must  signify 
one  of  two  things:  either  to  have  received  from  God  that 
blessed  resurrection,  or  to  have  embraced  the  hope  of  it  as 
certainly  as  if  it  were  already  possessed.  Paul  here  is  evi- 
dently not  speaking  of  either  of  these  subjects.  Not  of  the 
first  ;  for  although  it  was  true  that  in  this  sense  he  had  not  yet 
apprehended  the  resurrection,  yet  there  was  no  occasion  to  say 
so  in  this  place;  because,  having  said  it,  why  should  he  say  it 
the  second  time  ?  It  would  have  been  very  useless,  and  utterly 
unworthy  of  this  great  apostle,  to  say  to  the  Philippians,  to 
whom  he  was  writing,  and  who  knew  that  he  was  living  at 
Eome,  that  he  was  not  yet  raised  from  the  dead  ;  and  then  to 
protest  again,  Brethren,  as  for  me,  I  am  not  yet  raised  from  the 
dead.  For  who  could  suppose  that  he  was  ?  Who  could  ima- 
gine it  for  a  moment  ? 

Neither  was  he  likely  to  say  that  he  had  not  yet  apprehended 
the  resurrection  by  faith,  that  is,  that  he  was  not  assured  of  it; 
for  how  could  he  say  that,  who  declares  in  another  place,  "  God 
has  raised  us  up  together  with  Christ,  and  has  made  us  to  sit 
together  in  the  heavenly  places  ?"  Eph.  ii.  6  ;  speaking  of  the 
resurrection  as  of  a  thing  so  certain  that  it  is  (as  it  were)  al- 
ready accomplished;  and  so  assured  was  he  of  the  fact,  that  he 
says  in  2  Tim.  i.  12,  "  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed,  and 
am  persuaded  that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  com- 
mitted unto  him  against  that  day." 

No,  brethren,  the  apostle's  words  in  this  place  relate  to  quite 
another  thing  than  to  this  last  effect  of  the  grace  of  God  to- 
wards us;  they  relate  not  to  glory  and  immortality,  but  to 
that  knowledge  of  Christ,  of  the  power  of  his  resurrection,  and 
of  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  of  which  he  had  been  speak- 
ing- It  is  this  which  he  tells  us  he  had  not  yet  apprehended 
or  understood  ;  and  by  reason  of  this,  he  adds,  that  he  has  not 
yet  been  rendered  perfect.     For  the  first  of  these  words*  is  of- 

*  EXapov. 


344:  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXI. 

ten  used  in  the  Greek  language  to  signify  a  perfect  apprehension, 
in  which  nothing  more  is  wanted,  and  would  express  a  thing  so 
thoroughly  well  known  and  understood,  that  there  remained 
nothing  more  to  be  known.     This  it  is  the  apostle  intends  by 
saying  that  he  has  not  yet  entirely  "  apprehended"  (the  power 
of  Christ's  resurrection,  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings,  and 
the  knowledge  of  himself)  ;  that  is  to  say,  he  had  not  yet  re- 
ceived all  the  blessed  effects  of  the  power  of  the  death  and  re- 
surrection of  Christ,  in  such  a  manner  and  degree  that  he  did 
not  fail  in  any  point,  and  that  he  could  make  no  more  progress 
in  the  divine  life.     Indeed  it  is  very  evident  that  he  speaks 
not  here  of  a  simple  and  naked  knowledge,  but  of  an  experi- 
mental acquaintance  with  Christ,  as  we  have  before  explained. 
And  for  this  reason  he  adds  that  "  he  has  not  yet  been  made 
perfect."     For  this  term,  which,  according  to  the  different  sub- 
jects for  which  it  is  used,  signifies  different  degrees  of  perfec- 
tion, may  here  be  taken  for  the  last  and  highest,  when  believ- 
ers fail  in  no  point  or  degree  of  sanctification  which  the  power 
of  Christ  crucified  and  raised  again  ought  to  produce  in  them  ; 
precisely  in  the  same  manner  as  the  apostle  is  to  be  understood 
in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  when  he  speaks  of  "  the  spirits 
of  just  men  made  perfect,"  Heb.  xii.  28,  (for  in  this  passage  he 
makes  use  of  the  same  word).     It  is  this  state  of  holiness,  as 
perfect  as  that  of  the  saints  in  heaven,  to  which  he  alludes, 
when  he  says  he  "has  not  yet  been  made  perfect,"  signifying 
that   he  had  not   come  to  that  ;   that   however   advanced  he 
might  be  in  some  respects,  yet  in  others  he  still  failed,  and  had 
not  therefore  yet  attained  to  this  last  and  highest  point.     And 
because  believers  who  saw  in  him  such  an  admirable  zeal,  and 
a  life  so  ardently  devoted  to  the  service  of  Christ,  might  find 
this  his  humility  strange,  and  might  be  astonished  at  his  class- 
ing himself  with  those  disciples  who  were  still  learning,  and 
endeavouring  after  perfection,  instead  of  with  those  who  had 
arrived  at  that  point,  he  repeats  his  words,  "  Brethren,  I  count 
not  myself  to   have  apprehended  ;"    as  though   he  had  said, 
Your  charity  perhaps  judges  otherwise,  but  as  I  know  myself 
better  than  any  other  person  can  know  me,  and  as  I  have  some 
idea  of  the  holiness  to  which  the  power  of  Christ's  resurrec- 
tion and  fellowship  with  his  sufferings  conducts,  I  cannot  con- 
sider that  I  have  yet  arrived  at  this  high  point  of  perfection. 

There  are  those  who  suppose  that  the  apostle  alludes  to 
some  among  the  Philippians  who  boasted  of  being  perfect,  (and 
you  know  that  they  who  desire  to  be  justified  by  their  own 
works  often  attribute  to  themselves  perfection,)  and  that  it  was 
to  humble  their  pride  that  he  says,  "  Brethren,  as  for  me,  I 
count  not  myself  to  have  apprehended;"  as  if  he  would  say, 
Though  there  are  some  among  you  who  imagine  they  have  at- 
tained the  highest  degree  of  perfection,  yet,  for  my  part,  I  have 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  345 

not  that  opinion  of  myself;  I  confess  freely,  that  I  have  not 
yet  perfectly  apprehended  the  sanctifying  power  of  my  Lord, 
and  that  I  am  still  in  the  number  of  those  who  learn  and  ad- 
vance in  this  study.  In  the  same  manner,  a  master,  who  saw 
some  of  his  scholars  puffed  up  with  a  foolish  opinion  of  their 
knowledge,  imagining  they  had  nothing  more  to  learn,  might 
say  to  them  to  humble  their  vanity,  My  children,  for  my  part, 
I  do  not  consider  that  I  know  all  things  ;  I  learn  something 
every  day  :  the  science  we  have  embraced  is  so  deep  that  I  dis- 
cover daily  some  new  wonder  wherewith  to  enrich  my  mind. 

But  whatever  design  the  apostle  may  have  had  in  this  dis- 
course, thus  much  is  evident,  that  he  confesses  he  is  not  already 
perfect,  and  he  repeats  this  twice,  that  we  may  remark  it  as  a 
matter  of  some  importance.  And  in  fact  it  is  a  secret  of  great 
use  in  religion  ;  for  the  opinion  of  our  own  perfection  is  a  very 
dangerous  error,  and  has  two  most  pernicious  consequences  : 
the  one  renders  us  guilty  of  pride,  the  disposition  of  mind 
most  at  variance  with  salvation,  God  giving  grace  to  the  hum- 
ble; the  other  relaxes  the  nerves  of  devotion,  for  he  who  sup- 
poses himself  to  have  attained  the  highest  degree  of  sanctifica- 
tion will  not  labour  to  advance  further,  but  will  be  contented 
to  remain  where  he  is.  Now  what  remedy  can  there  be  more 
efficacious  in  curing  men  of  this  baneful  distemper,  than  the. 
truth  which  the  apostle  here  teaches  and  repeats  twice,  namely, 
that  he  himself  was  not  yet  made  perfect? 

If  to  the  advocates  of  presumption  we  speak  of  Noah  and  Job  ; 
if  we  bring  forward  David's  prayer,  "Enter  not  into  judgment 
with  me,  0  Lord,"  they  have  the  boldness  to  answer  that  these 
personages  lived  under  the  old  covenant,  whereas  they  are  liv- 
ing under  the  new.  But  truly  this  pretext  is  vain.  For  we 
shall  be  judged  in  the  same  manner  as  believers  in  former  days  : 
there  is  one  and  the  same  tribunal  for  them  and  for  us,  before 
which  we  must  all  appear,  and  be  there  judged  by  the  same 
law;  as  is  evident  from  Paul's  arguments  respecting  our  justi- 
fication and  theirs  ;  so  that  if  David  cannot  plead  the  merit  of 
his  works,  which  are  confessed  to  have  been  imperfect,  neither 
can  we  allege  the  merit  of  ours.  But  although  this  answer  of 
the  advocates  of  merit  is  absurd,  yet  there  are  too  many  who 
avail  themselves  of  it.  As  for  Paul,  however,  he  cannot  be  re- 
proached with  like  presumption.  His  example  deprives  them 
of  pretext  or  excuse.  For  if  there  ever  had  been  any  man  in 
the  world  who  could  pretend  to  perfection,  it  would  be,  with- 
out doubt,  this  great  apostle,  who  had  been  instructed  by  Je- 
sus himself  when  living  and  reigning  in  heaven  ;  who  had  been 
snatched  up  into  paradise,  and  had  heard  and  seen  there  the 
unutterable  things  of  the  heavenly  kingdom,  and  brought  back 
with  him  to  earth  a  lively  and  perfect  faith  ;  who,  conducted 
and  animated  by  this  divine  light,  had  renounced  all  that  the 
44 


346  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SEEM.   XXI. 

world  calls  delightful,  in  order  to  devote  himself  entirely  to 
Christ,  whose  cross  he  carried  and  planted  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  spending  his  life  so  religiously  in  this  holy  exercise, 
that  there  never  was  and  never  will  be  any  minister,  bishop,  or 
even  apostle,  who  can  compare  with  him.  And  yet,  after  all 
these  great  combats,  these  glorious  victories,  these  admirable 
triumphs,  hear  him  saying  with  deep  and  heartfelt  humility, 
"Not  that  I  have  already  apprehended,  either  am  already  per- 
fect: no,  brethren,  for  my  part,  I  count  not  myself  to  have  ap- 
prehended." Who  is  there,  after  this,  sufficiently  bold  to 
speak  of  his  supposed  perfection  ?  Where  is  he  who  dares  at- 
tribute to  himself  that  which  Paul  confesses  he  had  not?  Nay, 
none  should  be  ashamed  to  acknowledge  with  him,  that  in 
some  things  he  still  fails.  The  force  of  this  example  has,  how- 
ever, been  in  some  degree  felt,  and  they  who  would  exalt 
themselves  above  David  have  been  ashamed  to  do  the  same  by 
Paul,  judging  well,  that  if  they  did,  no  one  would  be  able  to 
endure  their  arrogance.  What  then  do  they  ?  Why,  to  render 
their  presumption  less  odious,  they  make  Paul  guilty  of  it,  and 
pretend  that  he  did  attain  in  this  life  to  that  perfection  of 
righteousness,  in  all  points,  in  which  they  make  their  boast. 
Paul  says  he  has  not  yet  ;  they  maintain  that  he  has.  Paul 
cries,  "  Brethren,  for  my  part,  I  count  not  myself  to  have  ap- 
prehended;" these  men  assert  that  he  has  apprehended.  Now 
which  shall  we  believe,  them  or  Paul  ? 

But  the  height  of  their  injustice  is,  that  to  make  their  own 
cause  good,  they  distort  his  words,  and  would  fain  make  us 
believe  he  has  not  said  what  he  has  said  ;  interpreting  this 
passage  in  a  way  unheard  of  in  the  church  of  God,  or  the 
schools  of  real  christians.  They  say  that  the  apostle  is  speak- 
ing of  the  continuance  of  his  race  or  combat,  which  was  not 
yet  finished;  and  that  he  does  not  intend  to  say  that  his  sanc- 
tification was  not  complete  in  itself,  or  that  he  was  not  alto- 
gether perfect,  but  merely  that  he  had  not  persevered  as  long 
as  was  needful  for  him,  and  that  his  holiness  had  not  lasted  a 
sufficient  time.  But  this  explanation  cannot  be  right,  either 
as  it  regards  the  thing  itself,  or  the  words  of  the  text.  For, 
with  respect  to  the  first,  Paul  had  no  occasion  to  say  more 
than  that  he  should  continue  some  time  yet  upon  the  earth  to 
preach  the  gospel;  and  that  the  course  of  his  life  and  minis- 
try was  not  yet  likely  to  be  finished  ;  in  the  same  manner 
that,  being  on  the  point  of  finishing  his  ministry,  he  warned 
Timothy  of  it,  saying,  that  he  was  ready  to  be  offered,  and 
that  the  time  of  his  departure  was  at  hand  ;  that  he  had  fought 
the  fight,  had  finished  his  course,  and  had  kept  the  faith,  2 
Tim.  iv.  6,  7.  But  he  certainly  is  not  speaking  thus  in  this 
place.  For  why  should  Paul  say  again  to  the  Philippians 
what  he  had  already  said  in  the  first  and  second  chapters?    "I 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIAXS.  347 

know  (said  he)  that  I  shall  abide  and  continue  with  you  all, 
for  your  furtherance  and  joy  of  faith."  And  again,  "  I  trust 
in  the  Lord  that  I  shall  shortly  come  to  you."  After  this, 
what  could  be  more  unlikely  than  that  he  should  repeat  that 
the  course  of  his  life  and  ministry  was  not  yet  ended,  and  not 
satisfied  with  that,  should  add  also,  "Brethren,  for  my  part,  I 
do  not  consider  myself  arrived  at  this  point  ?"  Besides,  what 
connection  could  there  be  between  this  idea  and  the  preceding 
verses,  "  I  have  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things,  that  I  may  be 
found  in  Christ;  that  I  may  know  him,  and  the  power  of  his 
resurrection,  and  the  fellowship  of  his  sufferings  ?"  To  what 
purpose  could  he  add,  "  No,  I  am  not  near  my  death,  my  race 
is  not  yet  run  ?"  As  if  they  who  truly  embraced  the  Saviour 
expected  to  die  immediately  after,  or  as  if  some  of  the  Philip- 
pians  held  that  opinion.  But  the  apostle's  words  will  not  al- 
low of  this  interpretation.  For  the  word  "apprehend"  cannot 
be  thus  translated.  Now  what  is  it  which  the  apostle  says 
"  he  has  not  yet  apprehended  ?"  Is  it  the  knowledge  of  the 
death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ?  Certainly  it  is.  But 
who  has  ever  heard  that  to  apprehend  these  things  was  to  have 
ended  the  occupation  of  preaching,  and  to  have  finished  his 
course  and  his  ministry  ?  No,  these  expressions  can  only  sig- 
nify what  we  have  already  said,  to  have  felt  and  experienced 
in  perfection  the  sanctifying  power  of  Jesus,  dead  and  raised 
again  for  us.  Could  it  be  the  prize  of  his  high  calling,  name- 
ly, the  resurrection  from  the  dead,  which  the  apostle  says  he 
has  not  yet  apprehended  ?  Is  it  possible  that  anything  could 
be  less  to  the  point  than  that?  that  Paul,  living  at  Kome,  and 
writing  from  his  prison  in  that  city  to  the  Philippians,  should 
declare  to  them  that  he  had  not  yet  received  his  crown,  that  is 
to  say,  was  not  yet  raised  again  from  the  dead  ?  Beautiful 
idea,  well  worthy  of  so  grave,  so  solemn  a  pen  as  that  of  our 
apostle  !  But  the  other  word  employed  in  the  text,  "  to  be 
made  perfect,"  is  not  less  incompatible  with  this  interpretation. 
It  is  true  that  "  to  be  made  perfect,"  sometimes  signifies  to  be 
rendered  so  by  death;  as  when  our  Lord  said,  "Behold,  I  cast 
out  devils,  and  I  do  cures  to-day  and  to-morrow,  and  the  third 
day  I  shall  be  perfected,"  that  is,  my  work  will  be  completed, 
Luke  xiii.  32.  But  it  is  evident  the  apostle  does  not  speak  in 
this  sense.  For  to  what  purpose  could  he  inform  the  Philip- 
pians that  he  had  not  yet  been  put  to  death?  Besides,  "  to  be 
made  perfect  "  signifies  always  the  degrees  of  perfection,  and 
not  its  duration  or  extent  ;  for  if  it  were  otherwise,  one  might 
say  of  the  angels  that  they  are  not  ijet  perfect,  and  of  the  saints 
after  the  last  resurrection  that  they  are  not  yet  perfect,  because 
their  perfection  has  not  completed  its  duration  :  and,  in  a 
word,  one  might  then  say  that  neither  the  blessed,  nor  the  an- 
gels, nor  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself,  would  ever  be  made 


348  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXI. 

perfect,  because  their  holiness  will  continue  eternally  without 
end  or  diminution;  and  this  would  be,  as  must  be  plain  to 
every  one,  extravagant  language,  not  to  say  blasphemous  and 
scandalous.  If,  however,  the  sanctification  of  the  apostle  had 
been  at  the  highest  point  of  perfection,  as  is  that  of  the  angels 
and  glorified  saints,  he  would  not  have  said  in  this  Epistle 
that  he  was  not  yet  perfect.  Nevertheless  he  does  say  so.  We 
must,  therefore,  of  necessity,  confess  that  his  sanctification  was 
not  yet  arrived  at  the  point  to  which  some  suppose  it  had. 
And  this  is  in  fact  the  way  in  which  all  christians  understand  the 
passage,  and  the  generality,  as  Jerome  *  tells  us,  draw  from  it 
the  doctrine  which  may  most  clearly  be  deduced,  *".  e.,  that  no 
believer  is  ever  so  entirely  sanctified  in  this  life,  as  that  he 
does  not  fail  daily  in  some  point.  And  I  do  not  think  that 
the  interpretation  which  we  have  refuted,  or  the  error  which 
gave  rise  to  it,  namely,  that  believers  can  attain  here  below  to 
the  highest  perfection  of  holiness  and  inherent  righteousness  ; 
I  do  not  think,  I  say,  that  either  one  or  the  other  is  to  be 
found  among  the  writings  of  any  other  christians  than  the  Pe- 
lagians, and  the  modern  enemies  of  the  eternal  divinity  of 
Christ.  And  the  authors  of  this  interpretation  object  to  us, 
that  the  apostle  says  in  another  place  that  he  has  "  fought  the 
good  fight,  has  finished  his  course,  and  has  kept  the  faith." 
True,  but  he  does  not  say  that  he  never  received  a  blow  in  the 
fight,  or  ever  made  a  false  step  in  his  course.  Peter  could 
say  as  much  touching  his  death,  and  yet  we  know  that  his 
life  was  not  passed  without  falls.  David  also  could  say  the 
same,  nevertheless  even  they  must  confess  that  his  righteous- 
ness had  not  been  perfect. 

Paul,  then,  describes  in  these  words  the  constancy  and  per- 
severance of  the  believer  in  the  gospel  doctrine  and  practice, 
who  goes  forward  to  the  end,  and  is  at  last  victorious,  though 
he  may  have  often  fallen  and  been  wounded.  This  perseve- 
rance excludes  impenitence  and  apostasy,  but  not  all  sin  ;  it 
excludes  only  those  sins  which  are  not  followed  by  repentance. 
But,  say  our  adversaries,  if  Paul  had  not  been  perfect,  why 
did  he  expect  the  crown  of  righteousness  from  God  ?  Because, 
I  answer,  God  is  faithful,  and  righteous,  and  true.  Now  he 
has  promised  to  save  whosoever  shall  continue  to  the  end  in 
the  faith  and  obedience  of  his  Son,  and  in  repentance  for  his 
daily  failings.  But,  say  they  again,  as  the  perfection  of  Paul 
was  the  end  of  his  course,  it  follows  that  he  was  perfected 
when  his  course  was  finished.  Who  doubts  it  ?  He  is  so 
clearly  after  that,  because  he  is  then  entered  into  heaven,  the 
place  of  our  perfection,  and  there  he  knows  even  as  he  had 
been  known,  that  is  to  say,  in  perfection  and  not  in  part,  and 
darkly. 

*  Dialogue  I.  against  the  Pelagians. 


CHAP.   III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  349 

Let  us  therefore  rest  assured,  that  the  sanctification  of  the 
apostle,  however  excellent  it  might  be,  was  not  perfected  in  all 
points  as  long  as  he  remained  on  the  earth.  From  whence  it 
follows  that  no  man  living  is  perfected  here  below.  This  the 
scriptures,  the  ancient  church,  and  the  feelings  of  our  own 
conscience,  so  loudly  witness,  that  it  is  wonderful  men  can  be 
found  so  deafened  by  the  love  of  self  that  they  hear  none  of 
these  voices.  Does  not  the  scripture  tell  us  that  "  no  man  liv- 
ing can  be  justified  before  God  ?"  Why  not,  if  there  are  some 
perfectly  righteous  ?  That  every  believer,  though  he  were  a 
confessor  or  an  apostle,  must  thus  pray  daily  to  God,  "  For- 
give us  our  sins,  as  we  forgive  them  that  trespass  against  us  ?" 
Why  thus,  if  there  are  some  who  never  sin,  and  therefore  need 
no  pardon  ?  Does  it  not  say  that  "  in  many  things  we  offend 
all  ?"  How  so,  if  there  are  some  faultless  ?  Does  it  not  say 
that  "now  we  know  but  in  part,  and  see  through  a  glass 
darkly?"  How  so,  if  holiness,  which  is  the  fruit  and  effect  of 
this  sight,  is  not  in  part  but  in  perfection  ?  Does  it  not  say 
that  "the flesh  lusteth  against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against 
the  flesh,  and  that  these  are  contrary  one  to  the  other,  so  that 
we  cannot  do  the  things  that  we  would  ?"  But  how  can  this 
be,  if  there  are  those  who  sin  no  more  ?  Does  it  not  say  again, 
that  "  if  we  say  we  have  no  sin  we  deceive  ourselves,  and  the 
truth  is  not  in  us?"  Could  it  possibly  say  anything  more  ex- 
press against  this  error? 

The  ancient  church  also  teaches  by  its  most  illustrious  or- 
gans, that  "  we  speak  truth  when  we  confess  ourselves  sinners  ; 
that  the  true  wisdom  of  man  is  to  know  himself;  that  he  is 
imperfect,  and  that  all  the  righteous  who  are  in  the  flesh  have 
an  imperfect  perfection.*  That  not  one  of  the  saints  while 
he  is  in  the  body  can  possibly  have  every  virtue  ;  that  there 
are  righteous  men  on  the  earth,  some  of  whom  are  great,  or 
strong,  or  prudent,  or  chaste,  or  patient,  or  pious,  or  merciful, 
or  who  suffer  all  sorts  of  evil  humbly  and  meekly  ;  but  there 
are  none  without  sin  ;  and  none  are  foolish  or  arrogant  enough 
to  think  they  need  not  say  the  Lord's  prayer  on  account  of 
sin,  though  in  comparison  with  other  men  their  sins  may  be 
few.f  That  he  has  greatly  profited  in  that  holiness  during  his 
life,  which  shall  one  day  be  perfected,  who  has  discovered  as 
he  advanced  his  distance  from  the  perfection  of  righteousness  : 
that  it  is  by  the  wisdom,  not  by  the  impotence,  of  God  that  no 
believer  is  ever  perfect  here  below;  the  Lord  so  conducting 
the  saints  in  this  life,  that  there  should  always  remain  some- 
thing either  to  give  them  freely  when  they  ask,  or  to  pardon 
them  mercifully  when  they  confess  to  him  :  and  that  the  rea- 
son of  this  is  hidden  from  us  in  the  depth  of  his  wisdom,  in 

*Jerome.  Dial.  I.  f  Augustin  de  Peccat.  Merit,  et  Rem. 


350  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.  XXI. 

order  that  tlie  mouth  even  of  righteous  men  may  be  stopped 
in  regard  to  their  own  glory,  and  may  be  opened  only  for  the 
praise  of  God. 

Our  own  consciences  likewise,  if  we  consult  them,  will  wit- 
ness also  for  this  truth.  For  it  is  evident  from  the  greatness 
of  the  divine  Majesty,  from  the  excellence  of  those  benefits 
which  we  daily  receive  from  his  bounty,  and  from  the  express 
declaration  of  his  word,  that  we  ought  to  love  him  with  all 
the  heart,  and  our  neighbour  as  ourselves,  and  to  employ  all 
we  have  to  his  service  and  glory  in  so  strict  a  manner  that  not 
one  word,  thought,  or  act  should  escape  us  that  is  not  conform- 
able to  his  will.  Now,  where  is  the  believer,  however  perfect 
he  may  be  considered,  who,  entering  seriously  into  himself, 
and  examining  without  disguise  the  whole  tenor  of  his  life, 
can  discover  no  faults,  not  merely  in  his  words,  thoughts,  or 
affections,  but  even  in  his  actions?  Where  is  he  whose  heart 
has  never  desired  or  loved  anything  but  what  was  pure  and 
holy  ;  whose  tongue  has  always  uttered  words  not  only  true, 
but  also  useful,  and  to  edification  ;  whose  eyes  and  other 
senses  have  apprehended  only  that  which  is  reasonable  and 
righteous  ;  whose  hands  and  other  members  have  neither  done 
nor  attempted  anything  but  what  is  good  ;  whom  temptation 
has  never  staggered;  who  has  never  coveted  ;  whose  flesh  has 
at  all  times  rendered  a  full  and  entire  obedience  to  the  dictates 
of  the  Spirit,  without  resisting  his  motions,  without  murmur- 
ing against  his  orders,  without  struggling  against  his  illumina- 
tion ?  If  you  make  no  inward  war  against  this  enemy,  sin, 
how  is  it  you  are  not  ashamed  ?  If  you  do,  why  not  confess 
that  you  are  not  perfect?  To  employ  the  words  of  Augus- 
tine on  this  subject,  "Certainly  it  is  either  stupidity  not  to  be 
aware  of  such  palpable  imperfection,  or  effrontery  to  deny 
it."  * 

But  it  is  time  to  leave  the  vain  and  false  teachers  to  enjoy 
the  glory  of  their  supposed  perfection,  and  to  return  to  Paul, 
who,  acknowledging  and  confessing  "  that  he  is  not  yet  made 
perfect,"  studies  earnestly  to  render  himself  daily  more  and 
more  perfect,  saying  to  himself,  "  I  have  not  yet  apprehended, 
but  I  follow  after,  if  that  I  may  apprehend."  He  stops  not  in 
his  course.  His  progress  had  been  great  ;  but  he  is  not  there- 
with contented.  He  cannot  remain  as  he  is  ;  he  desires,  if  pos- 
sible, to  arrive  at  perfection,  and  to  lay  hold  entirely  on  Jesus, 
so  as  to  experience  in  himself  all  the  power  of  the  life  and 
death  of  his  divine  Master. 

For  this  cause  he  adds,  "  for  which  I  am  apprehended  of 
Christ  Jesus."  The  original  wordf  might  be  rendered,  as,  or 
being,  or  because,  "  I  am  apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus  ;  but  this 

*  Augustine  iu  Juliau,  B.  IL  c.  10G.  f  *E^'  J. 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  351 

would  give  the  sentence  nearly  the  same  meaning.  If  you  take 
the  first  translation,  Paul  is  setting  forth  the  design  for  which 
Jesus  unites  us  with  himself,  namely,  that  we  may  grow  from 
faith  to  faith,  from  hope  to  hope,  suffering  no  day  to  pass  by 
without  making  progress  in  his  fear  and  love.  If  you  under- 
stand it  in  the  second  form,  it  is  the  rule  which  the  apostle 
proposes  in  this  exercise,  namely,  to  apprehend  the  Saviour  in 
the  same  manner  as  he  has  been  apprehended  of  him,  not 
weakly  and  in  part,  but  perfectly,  as  the  Lord  in  his  goodness 
has  apprehended  us,  drawing  us  out  of  our  own  path,  and 
placing  us  in  his,  by  the  power  of  his  word,  and  the  teaching 
of  his  Spirit.  Paul  makes  use  of  a  like  expression  in  another 
place,  where,  to  signify  that  in  heaven  he  should  know  God 
perfectly,  he  says,  "Then  shall  I  know  even  as  also  I  am 
known,"  1  Cor.  xiii.  12. 

Lastly,  if  you  read  it  in  the  third  sense,  because  "  I  am  ap- 
prehended of  Christ  Jesus,"  this  would  signify  the  motive 
which  urged  the  apostle  to  aim  with  ardour  at  perfection  ;  and 
this  motive  is  the  wondrous  grace  of  the  Saviour  towards  him, 
which  had  stopped  his  mad  career  in  the  way  of  error  and  of 
death  ;  and  had  taken  him  and  changed  him  into  a  vessel  of 
honour,  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  conversion  of  the  Gen- 
tiles. 

II.  But  to  explain  more  clearly  the  efforts  which  he  was 
making  to  advance  in  his  heavenward  race,  he  adds,  in  the  last 
verse  of  our  text,  "  One  thing  I  do,  forgetting  those  things 
which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things  which 
are  before,  I  press  towards  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high 
calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus."  He  compares,  in  this  and 
several  other  places,  the  object  and  endeavour  of  a  christian 
to  a  lawful  race  ;  so  familiar  was  this  image  to  the  Philippians 
and  other  Greeks,  among  whom  these  exercises  were  very  fre- 
quent, as  we  have  already  remarked.  The  superintendent  of 
this  mystical  course  is  God,  who  instituted  it  by  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ.  The  path  in  which  it  is  run  is  the  path  of  faith,  of  re- 
pentance, of  holiness,  of  every  christian  virtue.  The  time  al- 
lotted for  the  race  is  during  our  life.  The  moment  of  our  con- 
version is  the  commencement  of  it,  and  is  (as  it  were)  the 
barrier  from  whence  we  start,  each  in  his  turn,  as  soon  as  the 
heavenly  voice  has  called  us  ;  and  the  place  where  the  race  is 
finished  is  the  moment  of  death,  when  we  quit  this  world.  The 
goal  to  which  it  conducts  is  the  perfection  of  our  sanctification, 
of  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  power  of  his  resur- 
rection, and  the  fellowship  with  his  death  ;  and  to  this  we  can 
only  attain  in  departing  from  this  life.  The  steps  by  which 
the  christian  advances,  are  prayer,  study  of  the  word,  love, 
watchfulness,  and  patience.  The  christian  graces,  as  we  ac- 
quire them,  and  as  they  are  strengthened  by  labour,  prayer, 


352  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXI. 

and  meditation,  are  the  spaces  or  intervals  of  this  course,  each 
one  being  more  or  less  advanced,  according  as  he  attains  to  a 
greater  or  less  perfection  of  holiness.  The  rewards  bestowed 
upon  the  winner  are  immortality  and  glory  in  the  life  to  come, 
and  this  the  apostle  terms  "the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus,"  because  it  is  God  who  calls  us  to  it  from  on 
high,  who  keeps  it  for  us  in  heaven,  and  will  one  day  bestow 
it  ;  being  himself  the  Instituter,  the  Judge,  and  the  Eewarder 
of  the  race.  And  the  apostle  adds,  "  in  Christ  Jesus,"  in  order 
to  show  us  that  it  is  by  the  Son  of  God,  dead  and  raised  again 
for  us,  that  this  career  is  opened,  and  this  crown  of  glory 
offered  ;  and  more,  that  it  is  by  him  we  receive  all  needful 
strength  at  once  to  enter  upon  and  persevere  with  our  design  ; 
and  finally,  that  it  is  through  his  great  love  that  the  prize  to 
which  we  aspire  shall  be  given  to  us. 

Such  is  the  christian  race.  Paul  entered  upon  it  when  called 
by  the  voice,  not  of  man,  but  of  Jesus  himself,  who  cried  to 
him  from  heaven,  "  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  ?"  and 
who  not  only  called  him  to  the  common  salvation,  but  also  to 
the  apostleship  of  the  Gentiles.  It  would  be  superfluous  to 
inform  you  of  the  progress  he  made  in  the  course,  having,  in 
a  short  time,  not  only  reached,  but  passed  by,  those  who  had 
begun  to  run  before  him  ;  and  having  advanced  in  such  a 
manner  and  with  so  much  energy  and  courage,  that  nothing 
could  be  more  miraculous;  casting  aside,  with  irresistible 
power,  all  that  opposed  him  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left, 
so  that  nothing  was  able  to  arrest,  or  even  retard,  his  progress 
in  the  least  degree  ;  although  both  men  and  devils  did  all  they 
could  to  cross  the  designs  of  the  devoted  runner.  You  know 
his  history.  Behold  in  what  manner  he  writes  concerning 
himself  in  this  Epistle  to  the  Philippians.  First,  he  says,  "  This 
one  thing  I  do."  He  has  cast  aside  every  other  idea  ;  this 
race  is  now  his  only  thought.  He  has,  with  Mary,  chosen  the 
good  part,  the  one  thing  needful,  without  having  "  a  divided 
heart,"  like  those  who  endeavour  to  unite  heaven  and  earth, 
flesh  and  Spirit,  God  and  the  world,  Christ  and  Belial.  Se- 
condly, he  says,  "I  press  towards  the  mark  ;"  that  is,  he  pursues 
his  point  ;  he  perseveres  in  his  pious  design.  For  it  would  be  of 
small  avail  to  enter  the  course,  if  he  were  obliged  again  to  quit 
it  directly,  without  continuing  to  the  goal  ;  it  being  evident 
that  in  this  case,  besides  having  no  part  in  the  promised  reward, 
he  would  be  the  scorn  and  jest  of  every  beholder.  So,  in  the 
service  of  Jesus  Christ,  it  is  useless,  nay  more,  it  is  hurtful,  to 
enter  it  merely  to  quit  it  again.  Unless  we  persevere  to  the 
end,  all  the  efforts  we  may  make  are  useless.  Again,  the  apostle 
says,  "  I  press  towards  the  mark."  For  as  the  race-course  is 
marked  clearly,  even  to  the  goal,  and  to  run  beyond  the  lines 
which  conduct  to  it,  in  the  least  degree,  would  be  useless,  not 


CHAP.  III.]  THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  353 

to  say  dangerous  ;  so  with  the  believer,  Jesus  is  the  mark 
towards  which  he  should  press,  having  his  eye  directed  to  him, 
in  order  to  advance  in  the  knowledge  of  him  and  his  divine 
power.  It  is  Christ  alone  who  should  regulate  all  his  motions, 
and  whoever  loses  sight  of  him,  or  does  not  direct  his  steps 
straight  towards  him,  wanders  from  the  true  path. 

Again,  the  apostle  says,  "  Forgetting  the  things  which  are 
behind."  So  great  is  his  desire  to  advance,  that  he  thinks  no 
more  of  the  past  than  if  it  had  never  been.  And  as  those  who 
ran  in  the  games  never  amused  themselves  by  casting  their 
eyes  here  and  there,  and  still  less  by  looking  round  to  ascertain 
how  much  progress  they  had  made,  because  it  would  have  been 
but  losing  time  ;  so  the  apostle  thought  no  more  of  what  he 
had  once  been.  He  had  banished  such  thoughts  from  his  mind 
as  completely  as  if  he  had  lost  the  remembrance  of  his  former 
self.  For  weak  believers  are  often  retarded  in  their  progress, 
by  considering  what  they  were,  or  what  they  might  have  been 
in  the  world,  before  they  were  called  unto  Christ.  Sometimes 
also  the  way  we  appear  to  have  made  satisfies  us,  while  looking 
over  the  path  we  have  trodden,  and  we  become  lazy  and  inert. 
The  apostle,  however,  resolved  to  forget  all,  whether  it  were 
the  progress  he  had  made  in  Judaism  or  in  Christianity,  and  to 
run  as  zealously  as  though  he  had  not  yet  made  a  single  step. 
If  he  occasionally  recollected  his  former  condition  among  the 
Jews,  it  was  but  with  a  shudder,  and  he  hastened  onwards  more 
firmly.  If  his  progress  in  Christianity  recurred  to  his  mind, 
it  lifted  up  his  heart  in  praise  to  God  alone. 

But,  pursues  the  apostle,  "  pressing  onwards  towards  those 
which  are  before  ;"  that  is,  (as  we  have  already  said,)  to  the 
highest  and  most  exalted  christian  virtues,  doing  all  that  was 
possible  to  attain  the  very  summit  of  holiness.  And  the  word* 
which  is  here  employed  is  extremely  emphatic,  signifying  lite-, 
rally,  "  reaching  forth,"  "  throwing  himself  forward,"  as  they 
do  who  run  with  most  energy. 

Finally,  he  informs  us  of  the  rewards  which  await  him  at 
the  end  of  the  course,  and  these  he  calls,  for  the  reasons  we 
have  already  given,  "  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in 
Christ  Jesus." 

The  advocates  of  human  merit  vainly  endeavour  from  these 
words  to  draw  an  argument  in  favour  of  their  erroneous  no- 
tions. For  if  the  prize  is  elsewhere  called  "  grace,"  1  Pet.  i.  13, 
"mercy,"  1  Tim.  i.  16,  and  "gift,"  Rom.  vi.  23,  it  is  evident 
that  it  is  not  bestowed  on  account  of  our  merit,  but  rather  be- 
cause God  has  promised  it  of  his  great  goodness  and  love. 
And  truly  there  is  as  little  proportion  between  our  works  and 
the  celestial  glory  with  which  God  will  reward  us  after  this 

*  'Eiuirrtiixfytfcoç. 

45 


354  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERJ[.  XXL 

life,  as  there  would  be,  should  a  monarch  bestow  an  entire 
kingdom  on  a  man  for  having  run  two  or  three  hundred  paces. 
This  would  be  the  prize  to  be  obtained,  but  it  would  be  a  prize 
according  to  the  liberality  of  the  giver,  rather  than  the  desert 
of  the  receiver,  Our  adversaries  again  often  press  us  to  say 
why  Paul  laboured  so  much  to  arrive  at  perfection,  if  it  were 
not  possible  for  him  to  attain  to  it  during  this  life.  But  for 
my  part,  I  must  answer  their  question  by  asking  them  why 
Paul  and  other  true  believers  studied  to  attain  a  perfect  know- 
ledge of  God,  since  they  could  never  really  know  him  in  this 
world?  They  laboured  because  it  was  their  duty,  because 
therein  consists  the  perfection  of  their  nature,  its  excellence, 
its  happiness.  But,  perhaps  you  will  say,  they  never  could 
hope  to  arrive  at  the  highest  and  last  point.  Although  they 
might  never  attain  it,  yet  they  might  daily  approach  nearer  to 
it,  and  the  nearer  they  were,  the  happier  for  them.  Would  it 
be  wise  to  neglect  to  exercise  the  body  or  improve  the  mind, 
because  the  one  could  not  arrive  at  the  perfection  of  strength, 
or  the  other  of  science  ?  "Would  it  be  wise  for  an  invalid  to 
refuse  to  obey  his  physician,  because  he  could  not  hope  to  at- 
tain perfect  health  ?  Do  not  the  masters  who  instruct  men  in 
eloquence,  philosophy,  and  the  other  arts  and  sciences,  teach 
us  that  it  is  not  possible  for  any  mortal  to  acquire  an  art  or  a 
science  in  perfection  ?  Yet  they  never  intend  thereby  to  dis- 
hearten their  pupils,  and  disgust  them  with  study.  It  is  a 
vanity  which  almost  amounts  to  folly  to  be  unwilling  to  em- 
brace the  study  of  anything  because  we  are  not  likely  to  attain 
perfection  in  it.  And  although  the  christian  will  not  in  this 
life  arrive  at  perfection,  however  he  may  desire  it,  yet  he  will 
attain  unto  it  hereafter.  And  therefore,  as  we  do  not  neglect 
the  instruction  of  children,  under  pretence  that  they  cannot 
.fully  comprehend  what  they  are  taught,  until  they  arrive  at 
maturer  years;  so  we  also  now  are  in  our  infancy,  and  must 
wait  for  the  "age  to  come"  before  we  are  full  grown  men. 

Let  us  then,  dear  brethren,  never  neglect  to  cultivate  the 
growth  of  the  new  man  during  its  infancy,  to  form  it  for  good, 
and  to  give  it  all  the  instruction  of  which  it  is  capable.  And 
although  it  may  not  attain  in  this  life  to  the  perfection  which 
you  desire,  it  surely  will  hereafter  in  heaven,  when  the  pres- 
ence and  light  of  its  divine  Lord  will  be  reflected  in  the  perfect 
man.  Imitate  then  the  example  of  our  great  apostle.  Shun 
like  him  both  presumption  and  negligence.  Whatever  pro- 
gress you  may  have  made  in  the  way  of  life,  never  imagine 
yourselves  to  have  arrived  at  the  goal.  Whatever  failings  you 
may  discover  and  acknowledge  in  yourselves,  never  cease  to 
labour  and  advance  in  this  race.  For  thus  Paul  has  taught  us 
in  this  place.  He  had  laboured  more  than  others,  and  yet  this 
holy  man  feels  and  declares  that  he  has  not  yet  apprehended, 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  355 

that  lie  is  not  yet  perfect.  Christians,  let  his  modesty  instruct 
you  in  humility,  and  teach  you  not  to  be  ashamed  to  confess 
your  infirmities.  If  this  sun  had  its  spots,  be  not  ashamed 
when  you  discover  spots  in  yourselves.  If  our  father  Jacob 
was  lame,  (as  the  Hebrews  were  accustomed  to  say,)  let  none 
of  his  posterity  be  surprised  if  they  also  sometimes  limp. 

God  permits  these  infirmities  to  maintain  their  power,  to 
keep  us  humble,  and  to  show  us  that  if  there  is  any  good  in  us, 
it  is  the  gift  of  his  grace,  and  not  the  fruit  of  our  corrupt  na- 
ture. He  allows  this  remnant  of  the  Canaanites  to  remain  in 
the  land,  in  order  to  exercise  us  continually,  and  that  we  may 
have  constant  recourse  to  his  mercy,  and  seek  our  salvation  in 
him  alone.  But  this  imperfection  should  urge  us  forward 
more  and  more  towards  perfection.  It  should  produce  in  us  a 
hatred  of  this  world,  this  sojourn  in  Kedar  and  Mesech,  this 
place  of  our  weakness  and  our  combats,  and  a  sighing  after 
heaven,  the  place  of  perfect  bliss  and  perfect  holiness.  It 
should  be  to  us  as  a  continual  spur  to  urge  us  onwards  to  that 
happy  world.  For  it  would  be  indeed  strange  if  the  very  feel- 
ing of  our  own  imperfection  caused  us  to  love  it,  or  prevented 
us  from  endeavouring  to  cure  it. 

And  as  it  behoves  us  to  follow  the  example  of  the  apostle  in 
acknowledging  our  faults  ;  so  also  should  we  imitate  his  zeal 
and  firmness  in  struggling  against  them,  and  we  should  do  so 
with  the  more  care,  on  account  of  our  doctrine  being  accused 
of  relaxing  our  efforts  after  holiness.  But,  0  adversary,  you 
are  wrong  in  blaming  our  faith.  We  condemn  nothing  in 
you  but  your  presumption.  It  is  the  leaven  of  pride  which 
displeases  us.  As  for  the  rest,  we  recommend  and  preach,  as 
much  or  more  than  you  do,  the  mortification  of  the  old  man, 
the  vivification  of  the  new  ;  diligence,  vigilance,  constancy  in 
prayer,  in  fasting,  in  alms  ;  and  the  continual  exercise  of 
works  of  piety  and  charity.  We  only  desire  that  the  believer 
should  present  these  divine  fruits  to  God,  crowned  with  mod- 
esty and  humility  ;  that  he  should  look  to  it  carefully,  lest 
they  become  spoiled  and  tainted  by  the  presumptuous  notions 
which  you  teach,  of  having  fulfilled  the  law  or  deserved  para- 
dise. But,  my  dear  brethren,  it  is  better  to  refute  calumny 
with  works  than  with  words.  Let  us  therefore  live  as  did  the 
apostle  ;  let  us  run  diligently  as  he  ran.  Let  us  also  forget  the 
past,  and  hasten  onwards.  Let  us  press  towards  the  mark  for 
the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  This  is 
the  only  path  that  will  conduct  us  to  life  and  immortality. 
You  must  enter,  you  must  persevere  therein,  if  you  wish  to  at- 
tain to  perfect  bliss.  What  do  you  not  owe  to  that  blessed 
Saviour  who  has  called  you  to  it,  who  has  apprehended  you 
when  you  thought  not  of  him,  arresting  you,  as  formerly  he 
did  Paul  in  the  way  to  Damascus,  when  in  the  career  of  super- 


356  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.    XXI. 

stition  or  vice,  and  placing  you  in  the  path  of  life  !  And  this  is 
a  special  favour,  not  done  to  all.  Behold  the  majority  of  man- 
kind walking,  or  rather  running,  in  the  broad  way  which  leadeth 
to  perdition,  labouring  night  and  day  for  riches,  honours,  plea- 
sures, for  worldly  knowledge,  for  earthly  and  hurtful  things, 
which  lead  to  hell  and  eternal  misery.  But,  0  believers,  have  you 
less  desires  after  heaven  than  they  have  for  earth  ?  Do  you  take 
less  pains  for  your  salvation  than  they  do  for  their  ruin  ?  Do 
you  employ  less  time  and  study  to  become  eternally  happy, 
than  they  employ,  or  rather  lose,  to  become  eternally  miser- 
able ? 

The  first  injunction  given  by  the  apostle  is  to  leave  the 
things  that  are  behind;  see  then  that  you  efface  them  from 
your  memory  and  heart  as  entirely  as  if  they  had  never  been. 
God  has  forbidden  you  not  only  to  retrace  your  steps,  and  re- 
turn to  those  things  from  which  he  has  drawn  you,  or  to 
plunge  again  into  the  vices  and  superstition  from  which  you 
have  been  delivered  :  those  who  do  so  are  no  christians  ;  they 
are  out  of  the  path  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  and,  not  content  with  losing 
themselves,  they  endeavour  to  decoy  others  into  the  snare,  and 
unfurl  the  standard  of  revolt  among  the  people  of  God,  in 
order  to  induce  them  to  go  back  to  Egypt,  from  whence  they  have 
been  miraculously  brought  out.  But,  O  christians,  to  do  your 
duty  faithfully,  you  must  banish  from  your  heart  even  the 
thoughts  of  these  things.  While  thinking  of  the  onions,  and 
the  melons,  and  the  flesh  of  Egypt,  you  will  sigh  and  desire 
some  of  those  sad  snares  of  Satan  ;  and,  ere  long,  desires  and 
sighs  will  form  themselves  into  murmurs  and  rebellion  against 
God.  Kemember  Lot's  wife,  and  learn  from  her  the  danger  of 
looking  back.  And  yet  it  is  not  sufficient  to  be  on  your  guard 
against  looking  behind  you  ;  you  must  also  have  the  eye  and 
the  foot,  as  it  were,  in  advance.  Instead  of  receding,  you 
must  go  forwards.  It  is  only  a  top  (as  said  one  of  old*)  that 
can  remain  spinning  in  the  same  place  ;  but  a  christian  should 
be  always  advancing  and  pressing  towards  the  mark. 

Never,  then,  allow  a  single  day  to  pass  without  making  some 
progress  :  add  (as  says  Peter)  to  your  faith,  virtue  ;  to  virtue, 
knowledge;  to  knowledge,  temperance;  to  temperance,  pa- 
tience ;  to  patience,  godliness  ;  to  godliness,  brotherly  love  ; 
and  to  brotherly  love,  charity.  If  there  be  any  virtue,  and  if 
there  be  any  praise  ;  if  there  be  anything  true,  holy,  pure, 
lovely,  and  of  good  report  ;  adorn  yourselves  therewith,  there- 
with enrich  your  conversation,  for  thus  has  Jesus,  the  sovereign 
Lord  of  the  race,  commanded.  It  is  to  this  that  you  are  called, 
and  surely  the  prize  which  he  holds  in  his  hands  shall  be 
placed  on  your  heads  if  you  run  lawfully,  as  he  has  ordained  ; 

*  Gregory  Nazianzen. 


CHAP.    III.]        THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  357' 

to  you  shall  then  be  addressed,  before  the  assembly  of  heaven 
and  earth,  those  glorious  words,  "Come  good  and  faithful  ser- 
vants ;  come  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the  kingdom  pre- 
pared for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  ;  enter  ye  into 
the  joy  of  the  Lord."     Amen. 


SERMON  XXII. 

VERSES   15 — 17. 


Let  us  therefore,  as  many  as  be  perfect,  be  thus  minded  :  and  if 
in  anything  ye  be  otherwise  minded,  God  shall  reveal  even  this 
unto  you.  Nevertheless,  ivhereto  we  have  already  attained,  let 
us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let  lis  mind  -the  same  thing.  Breth- 
ren, be  followers  together  of  me,  and  mark  them  which  walk  so 
as  ye  have  us  for  an  ensample 

It  is  very  desirable,  brethren,  both  as  a  reward  for  praise- 
worthy actions,  and  for  the  instruction  of  men,  that  the  mem- 
ory of  persons  of  exalted  virtue  should  be  honourably  preserved 
among  mankind.  Even  the  pagans,  involved  as  they  were  in 
the  darkness  of  ignorance,  acknowledged  the  propriety  of  this, 
and  considered  it  so  necessary  a  duty,  that,  in  order  to  fulfil  it, 
(as  we  learn  from  the  Greek  and  Latin  authors,)  they  were  ac- 
customed to  draw  from  the  life  portraits  of  the  most  illustrious 
men  in  the  country,  or  to  make  statues  of  them  in  marble  or 
bronze,  and  place  them  in  the  most  public  and  conspicuous 
parts  of  their  cities,  that  by  the  continual  view  of  such  objects 
the  citizens  might  be  inflamed  with  the  desire  of  imitating  the 
actions  of  those  extraordinary  personages.  This  artifice,  how- 
ever, was  not  merely  defective,  inasmuch  as  the  body,  which 
is  the  weaker,  and  not  the  mind,  which  is  the  nobler  part  of 
our  nature,  was  thereby  represented  ;  but  it  was  also  highly 
dangerous,  (as  the  event  has  fully  shown,)  by  arousing  the  in- 
clination to  idolatry,  which  dwells  in  every  heart,  and  by  in- 
sensibly leading  thereto.  And  on  this  account  our  God,  whose 
wisdom  is  infinite,  banished  the  use  of  such  images  from  among 
his  people,  and  provided  other  means  both  for  honouring  his 
servants  and  for  our  instruction.  For  instead  of  these  cold 
and  dumb  representations  of  their  bodies,  he  has  taken  care  to 
draw  to  the  very  life  in  his  holy  word  the  portraits  of  their 
minds  ;  there  protraying  by  the  pen  of  his  Spirit  their  piety, 
their  faith,  their  charity,  and  other  virtues,  in  a  way  which 
neither  the  pencil,  the  crayon,  the  colours,  the  metals,  the  mar- 


358  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXII. 

ble  of  human  artists  are  able  to  express  ;  and  has  erected  these 
divine  statues  in  the  books  of  scripture,  as  it  were,  in  celestial 
niches,  exposing  them  to  the  eyes  and  observation  of  all  be- 
lievers ;  so  that  they  are  enabled  to  contemplate  and  admire 
the  true  images  of  those  holy  men,  in  order  to  imitate  by  every 
means  in  their  power,  in  the  station  in  which  they  are  called, 
the  virtuous  examples  thus  set  before  them. 

But  among  all  the  exquisite  portraits  to  be  found  in  the  scrip- 
tures no  one  is  more  laboriously  executed,  and  more  highly 
coloured  than  that  of  Paul,  the  great  apostle  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  He  occupies,  as  you  well  know,  a  large  part  of 
the  book  of  the  Acts  ;  and  in  several  of  his  own  Epistles  this 
holy  man,  guided  by  the  Spirit  of  his  Master,  has  himself 
placed  before  our  eyes  the  principal  events  of  his  life.  In  this 
very  chapter  (Phil,  iii.)  he  has  drawn  his  own  portrait,  repre- 
senting to  our  view  both  his  character  as  a  Pharisee,  before 
the  Lord  had  touched  his  heart,  and  as  a  christian  ;  not  the 
outward  appearance  of  his  Christianity,  but  its  true  nature, 
form,  and  essence  :  and  it  is  in  the  consideration  of  this  latter 
character  that  we  have  employed  the  four  last  discourses.  You 
have  seen  the  humility  of  his  great  mind  in  renouncing  all  his 
natural  advantages  ;  his  spiritual  wisdom,  resolving  to  lose  all 
in  order  to  win  Christ,  the  only  source  of  true  peace  ;  his  love 
for  that  divine  Saviour,  manifested  in  his  willingness  to  be  de- 
spoiled of  all  things  that  he  might  be  transformed  into  his 
image  ;  his  modesty  in  acknowledging  his  own  imperfection  ; 
his  ardour  and  constancy  in  the  christian  race,  always  forget- 
ting the  past,  and  reaching  onwards  to  the  goal,  in  order  to 
attain  the  prize  of  his  high  calling.  Now  he  discovers  to  us 
the  design  of  his  discourse,  and  teaches  us  that  it  is  in  order 
to  show  the  Philippians  by  his  own  example  what  ought  to 
be  their  sentiments  and  deportment  in  the  school  of  Christ. 
That  church,  as  we  explained  in  the  commencement  of  the 
chapter,  had  been  attacked  by  teachers  of  the  circumcision, 
who  advocated  the  observance  of  the  Mosaic  law,  as  necessary 
to  justification  and  salvation.  And  although  their  efforts  had 
not  entirely  succeeded,  yet  they  had  made  great  impression 
on  some  ;  so  that  there  were  in  the  flock  two  kinds  of  people  : 
the  first,  firm  and  steadfast,  resolved  to  mingle  nothing  with 
Jesus;  the  second,  more  weak,  who,  insnared  by  the  artful  dis- 
courses of  the  false  teachers,  were  unable  to  comprehend  the 
utter  inutility  of  the  law  after  the  light  of  the  gospel  had 
arisen.  The  apostle  in  the  text  speaks  to  each  party  separately, 
and  afterwards  to  both  conjointly.  To  the  first,  whom  he  calls 
"  perfect,"  and  in  whose  number  he  classes  himself,  he  recom- 
mends to  hold  themselves  continually  in  the  path  described  to 
them  by  his  own  example  :  "  Let  us,  as  many  as  be  perfect,  be 
thus  minded."     To  the  second,   whose  faith  was  not  so  ad- 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  359 

vanced,  he  adds  this  consolation,  "And  if  in  anything  ye  be 
otherwise  minded,  God  shall  reveal  even  this  unto  you."  He 
then  goes  on  to  give  them  in  common  two  warnings:  the  first, 
to  unite  themselves  together,  and  strive  mutually  after  the 
same  end  :  "  Let  us  mind  the  same  thing,  let  us  walk  after  the 
same  rule."  The  second,  to  imitate  carefully  the  good  exam- 
ples set  before  them,  both  by  himself  and  other  faithful  ser- 
vants of  their  Lord  :  "  Brethren,  be  followers  together  of  me, 
and  mark  them  which  walk  so  as  ye  have  us  for  an  ensample." 
These  four  subjects  we  propose  (the  Lord  willing)  to  treat  of 
in  this  discourse. 

First,  The  duty  of  perfect  believers. 

Second,  The  humility  and  hopes  of  weaker  believers. 

Third,  The  mutual  concord  and  union  of  both.     And, 

Last,  The  care  which  all  should  take  to  follow  the  examples 
of  Paul,  and  other  holy  men  of  God. 

I.  Eespecting  the  first  point,  the  apostle  explains  it  in  these 
words,  "  Let  us,  as  many  as  be  perfect,  be  thus  minded."  And 
here  a  difficulty  presents  itself,  in  that  the  apostle  calls  him- 
self, and  other  believers,  "  perfect,"  whereas  he  had  said  in  the 
preceding  verses  that  "  he  had  not  yet  apprehended,  neither 
was  already  perfect,"  making  use  of  a  term  similar  to  the  one 
employed  here,  and  thereby  apparently  denying  what  he  now 
affirms.  Some,  in  order  to  explain  this  seeming  contradiction, 
say  that  Paul  in  speaking  thus,  "  us  who  are  perfect,"  has  not 
regard  to  the  thing  itself,  because  no  one  is  perfect  in  any  re- 
spect ;  but  that  he  speaks  in  accordance  with  the  opinion  of 
the  false  teachers,  who  esteemed  themselves  perfect,  and  that, 
allowing  them  to  retain  their  self-allotted  title  by  a  figure 
called  in  schools  "  concession,"  he  meant  to  declare  that  by 
whatever  name  they  were  known,  or  however  good  their  opin- 
ion of  themselves  might  be,  if  they  wished  to  be  real  chris- 
tians, they  must  have  the  sentiments  which  he  had  been  la- 
bouring to  inculcate.  But  it  appears  that  this  explanation  is 
not  correct,  because  the  apostle  places  himself  in  the  number 
of  those  of  whom  he  speaks,  "  Let  us,  as  many  as  be  perfect." 
Besides,  in  understanding  it  thus  there  appears  a  species  of 
irony  in  his  language,  which  would  be  very  much  out  of  place 
here,  where  he  is  showing  simply  to  the  believers  in  what  their 
duty  consists.  It  is  therefore  vain  to  teach  that  he  does  not 
here  gives  to  believers  the  designation  of  "  perfect,"  when  in 
many  parts  of  scripture  they  are  so  called  by  Paul  himself, 
and  the  other  sacred  writers  ;  as  in  the  First  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians,  "  We  speak  wisdom  among  them  that  are  perfect," 
chap.  ii.  6  ;  and  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  often  gives  to 
christians  this  appellation.  James  also  says,  that  l-  if  any  man 
offend  not  in  word,  the  same  is  a  perfect  man."  And  David 
in  an  infinite  number  of  places,  speaking  of  himself  and  other 
believers,  says  that  they  are  "  perfect  and  entire." 


360  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXII. 

In  fact,  this  word  "  perfect"  is,  in  a  certain  sense,  equivocal  ; 
for  although  it  signifies  always  the  highest  point  of  a  thing, 
yet  as  the  highest  point  of  things  is  different  in  their  different 
states,  so  the  perfection  which  is  attributed  to  them  differs 
also.  Thus  the  perfection  of  infancy  differs  from  that  of  man- 
hood, and  in  schools  for  the  instruction  of  youth  each  class 
has  its  distinct  perfection.  So,  in  like  manner,  a  person  may 
be  perfect  in  one  seDse,  and  not  so  in  another  ;  because  he 
may  have  attained  perfection  in  one  point,  while  he  fails  in 
another.  The  people  of  God  have  been  dispersed  through  all 
ages,  and  to  each  a  distinct  form  of  perfection  belongs.  Under 
the  Old  Testament  the  church  was  in  its  infancy,  and  (as  it 
were)  in  the  lowest  class  in  the  school  of  God.  Under  the  New, 
it  is  in  its  manhood,  and  in  the  highest  class  :  so  that  when 
the  earlier  believers  are  compared  to  the  later,  it  is  evident 
that  with  regard  to  them  they  were  imperfect  ;  and  therefore 
the  apostle,  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  says,  "  They  without 
us  could  not  be  made  perfect,"  chap.  xi.  40.  Our  Lord  also 
declares,  that  although  John  the  Baptist  was  the  greatest  of 
the  prophets,  yet  the  very  least  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  (i.  e., 
in  the  church  of  Christ)  is  greater  then  he. 

But,  notwithstanding  this,  it  is  most  probable,  that,  under 
the  Old  Testament  dispensation,  there  was  a  standard  of  know- 
ledge and  sanctification,  to  which  he  who  had  attained  might 
truly  be  called  perfect.  Even  in  the  New  Testament  school 
there  is  a  diversity  of  grades  among  believers,  and  though  they 
all  in  common  have  a  perfection  to  which  none  could  attain 
under  the  law,  yet,  when  considered  as  individuals  and  com- 
pared one  with  another,  there  are  certainly  those  who,  in  the 
comparison,  may  be  termed  imperfect.  For  while  some  are 
but  commencing,  and  have  to  learn  the  very  rudiments  of 
Christianity,  others  more  advanced  have  their  senses  exercised 
to  discern  good  and  evil  ;  the  first  are  learners,  the  second 
teachers.  On  this  account  the  apostle,  to  mark  the  distinction 
between  them,  speaks  of  some  as  "babes  who  have  yet  need  of 
milk,"  and  of  others  as  "perfect  men,  able  to  digest  strong 
meat." 

Some  have  supposed  that  this  mode  of  expression  was  taken 
from  the  language  of  the  ancient  Greeks,  who  had  in  their 
worship  certain  sacred  ceremonies  called  mysteries,  to  the  sight 
and  participation  whereof  none  were  received  until  after  long 
preparation  :  such  as  had  been  admitted  to  the  mysteries  were 
styled  perfect,  while  others  were  considered  but  as  novices  or 
learners.  But  there  is  no  need  to  seek  for  the  origin  of  these 
words  among  foreigners.  They  were  taken,  as  was  much  of  the 
apostle's  language,  from  the  customs  and  terms  of  the  Jewish 
church,  in  which  were  several  classes  :  some  lower,  in  which 
were  taught  the  first  rudiments  of  doctrine  ;    others  higher, 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  361 

wherein  were  unfolded  the  deeper  mysteries  ;  and  this  latter  part 
of  their  theology  was  designated  by  a  word  which  signifies  per- 
fection *  because  they  considered  it  the  very  summit  of  their  re- 
ligion ;  and  those  who  were  instructed  in  it  were  likewise  called 
the  perfectA  It  is  from  thence  that  the  holy  apostles  have  taken 
these  words,  applying  them  to  the  gospel,  the  last  and  highest 
revelation  of  God,  to  which  alone  truly  and  justly  belongs  that 
epithet  of  "perfection  which  the  Jewish  rabbis  vainly  gave  to 
their  traditions.  It  is  in  this  sense  that  Paul  uses  the  word 
perfect  in  our  text,  meaning  thereby  a  man  perfectly  instructed 
in  the  gospel,  who  was  acquainted  with  and  had  embraced 
all  its  truths,  without  any  mixture  of  error;  and  this  is  evident 
from  his  adding,  "and  if  in  any  thing  ye  be  otherwise  minded, 
God  shall  reveal  even  this  unto  you."  For  you  see  that  to  these 
perfect  ones,  of  whom  he  is  speaking,  he  opposes  those  who 
have  still  some  diversity  of  sentiment,  and  to  whom  God  has 
not  yet  revealed  all  his  mind;  an  evident  proof  that  by  the 
perfect  ones  he  understands  those  to  whom  the  Spirit  of  God 
had  given  knowledge  and  faith  in  all  the  doctrines  of  his  word. 
If,  then,  you  call  to  mind  the  state  in  which  the  christian 
church  was  at  that  time,  you  will  easily  comprehend  who  those 
were  whom  the  apostle  calls  perfect,  and  who  they  were  whom 
he  was.  unwilling  to  honour  with  such  an  appellation.  For 
there  were  then  believers  who,  although  they  had  received  the 
gospel,  and  acknowledged  in  Jesus  the  true  Messiah,  the  only 
Saviour,  yet  retained  the  observance  of  the  ceremonial  law, 
esteeming  it,  if  not  absolutely  necessary,  at  least  very  useful, 
and  conscientiously  opposing  in  this  respect,  as  we  learn  from 
many  parts  of  the  New  Testament,  not  only  the  most  esteemed 
doctors  of  the  christian  church,  but  even  the  holy  apostles 
themselves.  Other  believers,  on  the  contrary,  contenting 
themselves  with  Jesus,  added  nothing  foreign  to  his  gospel  ; 
and  having  discerned  in  the  light  of  truth  the  real  value  of  all 
things,  held  legal  observances  both  useless  and  superfluous,  as 
indeed  they  were.  These,  doubtless,  were  the  men  whom  the 
apostle  calls,  in  this  place,  perfect  ;  and  whom  in  another,  for 
the  same  reasons,  he  designates  as  strong,  saying,  "  We  then 
that  are  strong  ought  to  bear  the  infirmities  of  the  weak, 
and  not  to  please  ourselves,"  Eom.  xv.  1  ;  while  to  those  who 
have  still  a  difference  of  sentiment,  and  who  have  not  received 
the  whole  truth,  he  gives  the  appellation  of  "  weak  in  faith." 

From  hence  it  appears,  first,  that  there  is  no  contradiction 
in  the  apostle's  language  ;  for  when  he  said,  above,  that  "  he 
was  not  yet  perfect,"  he  spoke  of  simple,  absolute  perfection, 
which  we  can  never  have  but  in  heaven,  as  he  himself  has  dis- 
tinctly declared  in  another  place,  saying,  "  When  that  which 

*  Gemara.  f  Gemarim. 

46 


362  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXII. 

is  perfect  is  come,  then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be  done 
away,"  1  Cor.  xiii.  10  ;  whereas  now  he  is  speaking  of  perfec- 
tion, so  called  by  comparison  ;  not  absolute,  but  with  regard 
to  other  believers  who  have  not  received  certain  truths  which 
we  already  know  and  acknowledge.  For  although  the  be- 
lievers of  the  Old  Testament,  considered  with  respect  to  the 
dispensation  under  which  they  lived,  are  frequently  called  per- 
fect and  entire;  yet,  in  comparing  their  light  with  that  of  the 
gospel,  they  can  and  must  be  esteemed  imperfect,  inasmuch  as 
they  failed  in  those  advantages  which  New  Testament  believers 
possess  :  so,  in  like  manner,  the  apostle  and  those  who  received 
his  doctrine  were  called,  and  justly,  perfect  in  the  sense  we 
have  explained,  yet  nevertheless  they  supposed  not  that  they 
had  attained  the  highest  point  of  christian  excellence  ;  and  in 
comparing  their  condition  on  earth  with  what  they  expected 
to  be  in  heaven,  it  was  most  true  that  they  "had  not  yet  ap- 
prehended, nor  were  already  perfect." 

Secondly,  You  see  how  the  teachers  of  perfection  make  use 
of  this  and  similar  passages,  where  such  eulogiums  are  given 
to  believers,  in  order  to  establish  their  own  presumptuous 
doctrine.  For  if  all  that  is  said  of  David  and  many  others  un- 
der the  law,  that  they  were  "  perfect,  entire,  after  God's  own 
heart,  just  before  him,  and  walking  in  his  commandments  and 
ordinances  blameless,"  does  not  indicate  (as  these  adversaries 
themselves  confess)  that  there  remained  in  them  no  spot  and 
imperfection  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  were  incapable  of 
appearing  before  the  tribunal  of  divine  justice,  and  had  cause 
to  cry  unto  the  Lord  not  to  enter  into  judgment  with  them; 
it  is  evident  that  the  praise  given  here  and  elsewhere  to  Paul 
and  all  his  true  disciples  of  being  perfect,  in  like  manner  does 
not  signify  that  they  were  clear  from  all  spot  or  stain  of  sin, 
against  the  express  doctrine  of  scripture  and  the  church,  as  we 
showed  at  length  in  our  last  discourse.  At  the  same  time  we 
most  willingly  confess  that  this  perfection,  though  not  entirely 
exempt  from  sin  and  infirmity,  is  notwithstanding  something- 
more  than  a  vain  and  empty  title,  as  worldly-minded  chris- 
tians imagine.  It  is  a  reality,  an  excellent  thing,  a  fruit  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  a  work  of  his  hand,  the  impress  of  his  wis- 
dom and  righteousness.  Although  there  are  spots  on  the  sur- 
face of  the  moon,  her  light  is  not  the  less  beautiful,  and  clear, 
and  perfect  in  its  kind,  and  so  it  is  with  the  holiness  of  the 
church  :  though,  while  here  below,  it  has  its  blemishes,  yet  is 
it  nevertheless  excellent  and  glorious,  and  even  in  a  certain 
sense  perfect.  And  our  adversaries  of  Eome,  who  give  to  the 
church  the  title  of  holy,  because  of  the  profession  she  makes 
of  a  divine  and  holy  doctrine,  spoil  her  of  her  most  beautiful 
and  necessary  mark.  If  there  be  one  among  us  (which  God 
forbid)  who  has  this  imagination,  and  who  supposes  that,  in 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO    THE   PHILIPPIANS.  363 

order  to  be  holy  and  perfect,  it  is  sufficient  to  live  m  commu- 
nion with  God's  people,  to  participate  in  their  sacraments,  and 
to  mingle  his  voice  with  their  prayers  and  praises,  let  such  a 
one  be  delivered  from  his  error;  or,  if  he  persevere,  let  him 
know  that  we  are  innocent  of  his  misfortune,  professing  to  him 
now  openly  that  no  man  is  a  true  christian  who  is  not  truly 
sanctified,  whose  flesh  is  not  mortified,  who  has  not  love  to 
God  and  charity  towards  his  neighbour.  We  wait  certainly 
the  highest  point  of  this  divine  work  to  be  completed  in  hea- 
ven; but  we  hold  that  it  begins  and  advances  on  earth,  and 
that  nothing  will  be  completed  on  high  which  has  not  been 
begun  below.  This  is  the  doctrine  of  Paul,  who  desires,  in 
the  text,  "  that  as  many  as  be  perfect  be  thus  minded."  For 
this  "  mind  "  of  which  he  speaks  is  nothing  less  than  the  ex- 
ercise and  practice  of  all  that  he  has  represented  to  us  in  the 
seven  preceding  verses,  on  which  this  last  depends.  I  know 
there  are  persons  who  suppose-  this  word  to  relate  only  to 
what  the  apostle  had  said,  i.  e.,  "  that  he  had  not  yet  appre- 
hended, and  that,  forgetting  the  things  which  were  behind,  he 
pressed  onwards  to  those  that  were  before,"  saying  this  is  what 
he  wished  that  all  should  do  :  that  the  most  perfect  should  feel 
their  imperfection,  and  acknowledge  that  they  were  not  yet  at 
the  goal.  But  it  is  doubtless  best  to  extend  this  sentiment 
which  Paul  requires  in  us  generally,  to  all  the  dispositions 
which  he  before  represented  to  us  in  his  own  person.  He 
wishes  that,  like  himself,  we  should  renounce  all  the  advan- 
tages given  us  by  nature,  that  we  should  despise  at  once  the 
lustre  of  our  nobility  and  the  pride  of  our  knowledge,  the 
dignity  of  our  station  and  the  supposed  innocence  of  our  mo- 
rals ;  that  we  should  reject  all  these  things,  which  form  the 
happiness  of  worldly  men,  as  vanities  fit  only  for  the  dung- 
hill, in  order  to  embrace  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  our 
blessed  Saviour.  He  desires  that,  naked  and  despoiled  of  all 
other,  we  should  clothe  ourselves  with  his  salvation  ;  that,  put- 
ting aside  our  own  righteousness,  we  should  seek  and  desire 
his  alone,  being  found  in  him  and  not  in  ourselves.  He  de- 
sires that  our  whole  lives  should  be  spent  in  tasting  the  power 
of  the  cross  of  Christ,  in  receiving  in  ourselves  the  marks  of 
his  life  and  death,  the  wounds  of  his  crucifixion,  and  the  con- 
solations of  his  resurrection,  in  order  to  be  transformed  into 
the  image  of  this  dead  yet  living  One.  He  desires  that  after 
all  we  should  be  deeply  sensible  of  our  infirmities,  thinking 
and  speaking  of  ourselves  with  humility,  acknowledging  that 
we  have  not  yet  apprehended,  and  that  there  yet  remains  much 
of  the  race  to  run  before  we  can  arrive  at  the  goal.  He  de- 
sires that  this  feeling  should  be  to  us  as  a  continual  spur,  urg- 
ing and  hastening  us  onwards  ;  so  that,  forgetting  (as  it  were) 
the  past,  as  though  we  had  yet  done  nothing,  we  should  run 


364  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXII. 

with  all  our  strength  towards  the  mark  and  prize  of  our  high 
calling  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  that  which  the  apostle 
demands  of  them  who  are  perfect;  "  Let  us,  as  many  as  be  per- 
fect, be  thus  minded."  Therefore,  lest  any  should  suppose  that 
such  sentiments  and  discipline  were  only  for  novices,  being 
the  first  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  he  recommends 
them  expressly  to  those  that  are  perfect  ;  as  the  true  and  only 
rule  which  all  the  disciples  of  the  Lord,  the  more  advanced  as 
well  as  the  younger  converts,  must  follow.  The  admirable 
wisdom  of  the  apostle  manifests  itself  here.  For  superstition 
always  daubs  her  inventions  with  the  false  paint  of  perfection. 
She  confesses  that  the  doctrine  and  discipline  of  our  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ  is  good  and  holy,  but  she  pretends  that  the  obser- 
vances she  would  add  thereto  serve  to  perfect  it  ;  that  in  order 
to  be  a  christian  it  is  sufficient  to  do  what  the  apostle  enjoins, 
but  in  order  to  be  perfect  we  must  submit  to  what  she  pre- 
scribes to  us.  I  am  persuaded  that  those  false  teachers  whom 
the  apostle  combats  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Colossians,  had  not 
failed  to  employ  this  precept  to  give  authority  to  the  obser- 
vances with  which  they  loaded  the  believers,  and  which  had, 
as  he  said,  "  a  show  of  wisdom  in  will-worship,  and  humility, 
and  neglecting  of  the  body,"  Col.  ii.  23;  and  it  cannot  be 
doubted  that  those  also,  against  whom  he  argues  in  this  chap- 
ter, maintained  the  necessity  of  observing  the  ceremonial  law 
in  order  to  be  entirely  perfect.  No,  no,  says  the  apostle,  this 
is  not  the  study  and  endeavour  of  those  who  are  perfect.  They 
have  enough  in  Jesus  Christ  to  occupy  them,  without  troubling 
themselves  with  such  things.  Our  true  perfection  consists  in 
dying. to  ourselves  that  we  may  live  to  him  ;  in  a  word,  in  act- 
ing according  to  the  sentiments  I  have  declared  to  you. 

From  all  this  you  see,  brethren,  how  vain  is  the  distinction 
drawn  by  our  opponents  of  the  Romish  church,  between  the 
precepts  and  advice  of  the  evangelists.  They  say  that  the  first 
relate  to  all  christians,  bat  the  last  to  the  perfect  only  ;  and  in 
this  class  they  place  celibacy,  monkery,  and  all  their  depend- 
ences. It  is  a  most  preposterous  idea  to  make  essential  to  the 
perfection  of  the  christian  religion  ceremonies  which  were 
formerly  in  vogue  among  pagans,  and  at  this  day  form  part  of 
the  worship  of  divers  false  religions  ;  to  suppose  that  walking 
without  shoes,  dressing  like  a  Capuchin,  begging,  eating  no- 
thing but  fish,  and  such  things,  can  procure  true  spiritual  per- 
fection. But  be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  clear  that  the  apostle 
directs  his  perfect  ones  to  very  different  exercises  than  these 
people.  He  commands  neither  beggary,  nor  dirtiness,  nor  a 
monkish  habit.  He  does  not  forbid  either  marriage  or  the 
moderate  use  of  meat.  He  neither  teaches  them  to  boast  of 
being  at  the  height  of  perfection,  nor  to  presume  upon  their 
merit.     All  the  discipline  that  he  recommends  is  to  embrace 


CHAP.   III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  365 

Jesus,  to  seek  in  him  both  justification  and  sanctification,  to 
die  and  rise  again  with  him,  to  run  continually  towards  the 
prize  of  their  high  calling  ;  things,  as  you  plainly  see,  which 
have  nothing  in  common  with  the  hood  and  the  sackcloth,  the 
orders  of  Benedict,  or  Francis,  or  Dominic,  or  Ignatius,  the 
pretended  teachers  of  christian  perfection.  Let  us  then,  be- 
loved brethren,  leaving  all  these  fanciful  institutions,  cleave 
only  to  those  of  the  apostle  ;  and  if  we  are  perfect,  as  we 
ought  to  be,  having  so  long  been  instructed  in  his  pure  doc- 
trines, let  us  be  of  his  mind,  and  practise  what  he  commands. 

He  adds,  secondly,  "  And  if  in  anything  ye  be  otherwise 
minded,  God  shall  reveal  even  this  unto  you."  By  calling  those 
perfect  who  were  of  one  mind  with  himself,  he  places  his  doc- 
trine above  discussion,  and  shows  it  to  be  an  indubitable  and 
certain  truth,  since  it  was  an  imperfection  not  to  receive  it 
entirely.  And  although,  by  thus  speaking,  he  sharply  stung 
those  who  were  of  a  different  opinion,  declaring  that  they 
could  not  be  reckoned  among  the  perfect  and  finished  disciples 
of  the  Lord,  yet,  at  the  same  time,  he  gives  them  encourage- 
ment by  telling  them  that  he  hopes  "  God  will  reveal  this  unto 
them  also,"  that  they  may  prepare  themselves  with  meekness 
and  humbleness  of  mind  to  receive  the  true  light  of  the  gospel. 
We  have  already  shown  who  they  were  of  whom  the  apostle 
speaks,  viz.,  the  weak,  who  were  unable  to  enjoy  the  full  liberty 
of  the  gospel,  considering  themselves  obliged  to  perform  cer- 
tain legal  ceremonies.  On  which  we  have  to  remark,  first,  that 
God  does  not  always  communicate  the  whole  light  of  truth  at 
once  to  his  believing  people;  but  often,  while  bestowing  a 
part,  still  leaves  for  a  time  some  error  in  their  understanding, 
even  as  you  know  that  the  apostles  themselves  were  a  long 
while  under  the  idea  that  the  partition  wall  between  Jew  and 
Gentile  continued  in  force  after  the  coming  of  Christ.  As  this 
is  the  case  with  individuals,  it  may  also  happen  with  entire 
flocks  ;  and  you  are  aware  that  it  did  happen  in  the  days  of 
our  forefathers:  many  churches  received  not  the  whole  light 
of  truth,  but  retained  both  in  doctrine  and  discipline  errors 
and  corruptions  which  they  have  now  cast  off. 

II.  The  example  of  Paul  shows  us  the  manner  in  which  we 
ought  to  conduct  ourselves  towards  individuals  of  this  descrip- 
tion, guarding  us  against  two  extremes  into  which  men  com- 
monly fall  on  such  occasions,  flattery  and  harshness.  We 
ought  to  testify  constantly  for  the  truth,  and  boldly  lay  before 
the  weak  believer  the  error  in  which  he  stands,  as  does  the 
apostle  here,  not  concealing  from  those  who  were  not  of  one 
mind  with  him,  that  they  failed  in  this  respect,  and  were  con- 
sequently far  from  christian  perfection.  But,  at  the  same  time, 
it  is  not  necessary  to  tear  and  persecute  our  weaker  brethren 
as  though  they  were  lost  without  resource,  or  to  flee  from  them 


366  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SEEM.  XXII. 

as  excommunicated  persons,  the  instant  we  remark  in  them 
any  difference  of  sentiment.  Let  us  rather  hope,  with  the 
apostle,  that  God,  who  is  good  and  powerful,  will  in  time  re- 
veal his  truth  to  them  also.  Let  our  kindness  induce  them 
to  think,  and  give  them  reason  to  judge  favourably  of  our 
cause. 

Further,  we  learn  that  God  alone  is  the  Author  of  all  the 
knowledge  we  possess  of  his  blessed  truth.  It  is  he  who  gives 
it  in  the  commencement  ;  it  is  he  alone  who  preserves  it  in  us  ; 
it  is  he  who  restores  it  to  us,  when  we  have  lost  some  of  its 
rays.  Paul  may  plant,  and  Apollos  water,  but  God  giveth  the 
increase.  He  that  planteth  is  nothing,  and  he  that  watereth  is 
nothing,  but  God  that  giveth  the  increase.  Far  from  hence  be 
those  who  imagine  that  God  is  said  to  "  reveal  his  truth  to  us," 
because  he  places  before  our  eyes  the  things  of  the  "gospel,  and 
that  it  is  our  part  to  receive  them  or  not.  Had  such  been  the 
case,  the  apostle  would  not  have  spoken  here  of  the  revelation 
of  God.  For  he  was  not  arguing  respecting  some  new  thing 
which  had  never  been  made  clear  to  the  Philippians,  but  rather 
of  the  persuasion  of  a  truth  which  they  had  seen  and  rejected. 
When,  therefore,  the  apostle  says  that  "  God  will  reveal  this 
unto  them,"  he  means  that  God  will  so  discover  it  to  their 
heart,  and  cause  them  to  feel  it  so  deeply,  that  instead  of  re- 
jecting, as  heretofore,  they  will  gladly  receive  it  in  the  obe- 
dience of  faith. 

Again,  let  those  who  are  weak  learn  from  hence  never  to  be 
puffed  up  in  their  ignorance,  rejecting  and  casting  from  them 
the  light  of  truth,  but  let  them  humble  themselves  in  the  sight 
of  God,  and  desire  to  listen  to  his  instructions  with  meekness 
and  affection,  in  the  conviction  that  the  blessed  Lord  never 
fails  to  hear  all  who  pray  to  him  ;  but  teaches  his  ways  to  the 
blind,  opens  to  them  that  knock,  and  gives  to  them  that  ask  ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  he  resisteth  the  proud,  and  increaseth 
the  darkness  to  those  who  love  the  night,  sealing  error  upon 
them  who  receive  not  the  light  of  truth. 

Finally,  learn  here  the  pitiable  weakness  of  our  understand- 
ings, since  those  already  so  far  instructed  in  the  gospel,  that 
Paul  calls  them  "brethren,"  were  yet  incapable  of  unravelling 
a  question  which  appears  so  easy,  or  of  acknowledging  their 
error,  gross  as  it  was,  until  the  God  of  heaven  should  himself 
reveal  to  them  the  things  of  which  they  were  ignorant. 

III.  But  I  must  come  to  the  last  two  points,  which  the 
apostle  recommends  to  all  believers  in  common,  whether  per- 
fect or  weak. 

The  first  is  contained  in  these  words,  "Nevertheless,  whereto 
we  have  already  attained,  let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule,  let  us 
mind  the  same  thing."  It  would  be  an  excellent  thing,  brethren, 
if  believers  were  so  perfectly  agreed,  that  there  were  among 


CHAP.   III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  867 

them  one  only  sentiment  with  regard  to  religion.  But  this 
happiness  being  rather  to  be  wished  than  expected,  because  of 
the  infirmity  of  our  minds  while  we  remain  on  earth,  the 
apostle  here  commands  us  to  restrain  ourselves  in  such  wise, 
that  if  there  arise  a  diversity  of  sentiment  among  us,  it  should 
produce  no  bitterness  in  our  feelings,  no  disturbance  of  our 
concord.  And  to  understand  his  meaning  well,  it  must  be 
remarked  that  he  is  not  in  this  place  speaking  of  all  diversity 
of  opinion.  For  there  are  some  from  which  we  ought  to  sepa- 
rate, viz.,  those  which  would  shake  the  very  foundations  of  the 
faith,  inculcating  impiety  towards  God,  or  vices  contrary  to 
that  charity  due  to  our  neighbour.  After  having  warned  and 
exhorted  such  as  hold  views  of  this  nature,  unless  they  turn 
from  them  we  ought  to  banish  them  from  our  communion,  for 
fear  lest  their  false  doctrine  should  injure  the  truth  of  God. 
But  if  this  difference  of  opinion  should  not  interfere  with  the 
foundations  of  our  faith,  obliging  us  neither  to  fail  in  the  ser- 
vice of  God,  nor  in  love  to  man,  then  must  the  apostle's  com- 
mands here  be  brought  to  bear.  They  are,  first,  that  they  who 
have  the  truth  on  their  side  should  encourage  a  holy  and 
charitable  hope  that  God  at  some  future  time  will  reveal  it  also 
to  those  who  differ  from  them.  Secondly,  that  each  party 
should  consider  the  other  as  brethren,  and,  notwithstanding 
their  opposition  of  sentiment,  live  in  harmony  together  ;  they 
who  know  the  truth  not  rejecting  or  despising  those  who  know 
it  not,  nor  they  who  are  ignorant  allowing  themselves  to  be 
puffed  up  against  those  who  are  instructed  in  it;  that  to 
this  end  each  party  ought  to  remember  the  principal  truths 
on  which  they  are  agreed,  and  to  the  knowledge  whereof 
they  have  come  by  the  grace  of  God  alone.  Such  truths  should 
be  the  very  bond  of  union  ;  they  should  mutually  defend  them, 
and  firmly  maintain  their  common  creed,  taking  care  not  to 
separate  from  that,  and  continually  rendering  one  another, 
on  this  foundation,  all  those  duties  which  charity  enjoins; 
thus  living  in  the  constant  exercise  of  holy  friendship  and 
piety. 

Such  is  the  apostle's  meaning  in  this  expression,  "whereto 
we  have  already  attained,  let  us  walk  by  the  same  rule."  He 
calls  the  points  on  which  we  are  agreed  together,  "that  to  which 
we  have  already  attained,"  and  the  "  rule  "  by  which  he  would 
have  us  walk  is  the  knowledge  or  belief  that  we  possess  in 
common.  This  he  would  have  us  take  for  the  rule  of  our  in- 
tercourse and  conversation  with  others. 

He  adds  further,  "let  us  mind  the  same  thing;"  that  is  to 
say,  with  regard  to  those  subjects  on  which  we  agree,  let  us 
carefully  retain  them,  without  allowing  the  enemy  to  increase 
our  differences,  or  extend  them  to  the  principal  and  funda- 
mental articles  of  our  faith. 


368  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXII. 

There  are  those  who  suppose  these  last  words  to  signify  the 
result  of  the  apostle's  commands,  and  they  would  translate  them 
thus  :  "  Whereto  we  have  already  attained,  let  us  walk  by 
the  same  rule,  in  order  that  we  may  mind  the  same  thing." 
And  this  exposition  is  not  bad,  that  the  securest  method  of 
maintaining  perfect  harmony  amongst  us  is  to  bold  ourselves 
strictly  united  in  the  principal  points  in  which  our  common 
faith  consists.  If  we  conduct  ourselves  thus,  God  will  not  fail 
to  bless  our  moderation,  and  enlighten  the  minds  of  those  who 
err,  so  as  to  cause  all  differences  to  cease. 

The  apostle  also  adds  this  condition  to  the  hope  which  he 
holds  out  to  weak  believers,  "  God  shall  reveal  even  this  unto 
you.  Nevertheless,  whereto  we  have  already  attained,  let  us 
walk  by  the  same  rule  :"  as  though  he  would  say  that  they 
should  without  doubt  receive  this  grace  from  God,  provided 
meanwhile  they  were  not  seduced  away  from  fundamental 
truths,  but  continued  in  harmony  and  kindness  with  their 
brethren  in  respect  to  those  subjects  on  which  they  held  a 
common  creed. 

Wonderful  meekness  !  Admirable  wisdom  of  the  apostle  ! 
How  much  is  it  to  be  lamented  that  this  divine  rule  here  given 
has  been  so  little  acted  upon  in  the  churches  of  Christ  !  Had 
it  been  followed,  the  enemy  could  never  have  produced  all 
those  ravages  and  disorders  which  have  conducted  most  of 
them  to  ruin  and  destruction.  Christendom  would  not  have 
been  so  often  embroiled  for  some  trifling  difference  of  opinion; 
ministers  of  Christ  hurling  against  one  another  excommunica- 
tions and  anathemas  ;  the  people,  led  on  by  the  example  of 
their  spiritual  guides,  tearing  each  other  in  pieces,  and  even' 
brethren  becoming  to  their  brethren  as  wolves  and  tigers. 
Sometimes,  I  must  confess,  they  who  had  truth  on  their  side 
did  not  conduct  themselves  as  they  ought,  but  rather  irritated 
than  healed  the  wounds  already  made  by  their  haughty  and  in- 
tolerant deportment.  But,  generally  speaking,  it  has  been  the 
case  that  where  the  greatest  error  existed  in  doctrine,  there 
also  has  it  been  most  manifested  in  practice,  and  they  who  were 
most  ignorant  of  the  truth  have  shown  the  least  charity  to- 
wards others  ;  and  this  was  especially  seen  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Reformation,  when  they  who  continued  in  error 
invariably  proved  themselves  the  most  violent  and  obstinate 
enemies  of  peace. 

Let  us  then  profit  by  the  weaknesses  of  others,  and  rejoice 
with  thankfulness  in  that  perfect  union  which  God  has  pre- 
served among  us,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  of  those  who  en- 
deavour to  disturb  it  :  let  us  put  on  the  bowels  of  mercies  re- 
commended to  us  by  our  Lord  in  order  to  bear  the  infirmities 
of  such  brethren  as  feel  differently  from  ourselves  ;  and  while 
hoping  and  waiting  for  them  to  be  enlightened  from  above,  let 


CHAP.  III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  369 

us  walk  by  the  same  rule  with  them  in  that  to  which  they  have 
already  attained. 

IV.  To  this  we  are  directed  by  the  excellent  example  of  the 
apostle,  which  he  himself  conjures  us  all  to  follow,  whether  we 
be  strong  or  weak,  perfect,  or  of  those  who  have  not  yet  at- 
tained, or  indeed  of  what  condition  soever  we  may  be  :• 
"  Brethren,  be  followers  together  of  me."  He  often  reminds 
the  believers,  to  whom  he  writes,  of  this  duty  :  when  repre- 
senting to  the  Corinthians  that  he  had  begotten  them  through 
the  gospel,  he  adds,  "  Wherefore,  I  beseech  you,  be  ye  followers 
of  me,"  1  Cor.  iv.  16  ;  and  afterwards,  "  Be  ye  followers  of  me, 
even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ,"  1  Cor.  xi.  1.  He  also  praises  the 
Thessalonians  for  having  been  his  imitators  :  "  Ye  became  fol- 
lowers of  us  and  of  the  Lord,  having  received  the  word  in 
much  affliction  with  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  1  Thess.  i.  6  ;  ii. 
3,  7.  Again,  in  another  place,  he  tells  them  that  he  had  ab- 
stained from  things  lawful  in  order  to  be  to  them  as  an  ensample. 
But  here  he  desires  further  that  the  Philippians  should  unite 
together  with  one  accord,  and  endeavour  to  imitate  his  conduct, 
each  one  in  his  own  life.  This  therefore  was  the  design  of 
God  in  causing  him  to  endure  so  many  trials,  that  there  should 
be  no  virtue  of  which  he  has  not  left  us  a  noble  example. 
Happy  minister  of  Christ,  whose  perfect  consciousness  of  his 
own  innocence  enables  him  to  propose  himself  boldly  as  a  pat- 
tern to  his  flock  !  even  as  a  good  father  does  not  fear  to  set 
forth  his  life  to  his  children  as  the  model  for  theirs. 

But,  not  satisfied  with  setting  before  the  Philippians  one 
excellent  example,  Paul  exhorts  them  to  regard  also  the  other 
servants  of  God  who,  like  him,  lived  in  pureness  and  holiness, 
and  devoted  themselves  faithfully  to  their  appointed  work: 
"  Mark  them  which  walk  so  as  ye  have  us  for  an  ensample." 
He  does  not  wish  that  they  should  carelessly  copy  all  who 
present  themselves  with  the  name  and  outward  appearance  of 
the  Lord's  servants  ;  for  the  messengers  of  Satan  are  sometimes 
disguised  as  the  ministers  of  Christ.  But  he  desires  them  to 
examine  them  first,  and  if  they  find  upon  them  the  mark  and 
character  of  the  apostolic  life,  the  coin  (as  it  were)  of  heaven, 
the  same  form  of  sound  words,  then  to  endeavour  at  once  to 
follow  them.  From  this  we  learn  that  Paul  and  the  other 
apostles  were  designed  by  God  to  serve  as  models  in  the  chris- 
tian church,  both  with  regard  to  doctrine  and  practice,  accord- 
ing to  our  Lord's  promise,  that  they  should  sit  on  twelve  thrones 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  It  is  to  their  rule  all 
things  must  be  brought,  and  then  be  rejected  or  received  ac- 
cording as  they  coincide  with  that.  However  excellent  and 
esteemed  a  minister  may  be,  before  we  follow  him  let  us  care- 
fully examine  whether  he  walks  according  to  the  pattern  of 
those  holy  and  excellent  servants  of  the  Lord,  who  faithfully 
47 


370  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXII. 

transmitted  to  us  the  example  they  had  received  from  Jesus. 
Neither  does  the  change  of  time  exempt  any  one  from  this  rule. 
Although  the  authority  of  those  who  are  set  before  us  may  be 
very  ancient,  yet  must  we  examine  their  doctrines  in  the 
apostle's  light.  For  the  same  law  that  he  gave  then  holds  good 
now,  "  Mark  them  which  walk  so  as  ye  have  us  for  an  en- 
sample."  If  we  desire  to  walk  with  assurance,  and  without 
fear  of  falling,  we  must  take  this  holy  man  for  our  model, 
whether  with  regard  to  our  faith  or  conversation.  It  is  for 
this  purpose  that  divine  Providence  has  so  distinctly  engraven 
his  image  in  many  parts  of  holy  writ  ;  for  this  purpose  is  it 
preserved  to  us  until  now.  Let  us  receive  nothing  into  our 
creed  which  did  not  appear  in  his.  Let  us  be  careful  to  reject 
whatever  cannot  be  found  in  his  preaching,  and  let  us  hold  him 
accursed  who  shall  preach  any  other  gospel  than  that  he  had 
preached,  though  he  be  a  prophet,  or  an  apostle,  or  even  an 
angel  from  heaven. 

There  are  who  complain  that  it  is  difficult  to  discern  the  truth 
of  Christianity  from  the  many  errors  men  have  mingled  with 
it.  But  behold  a  short  and  easy  method,  if  we  seek  it  in  Paul  ; 
if  we  content  ourselves  with  his  rule,  and  do  not  weary  our- 
selves to  discover  what  he  has  not  taught  us  ;  if  we  maintain 
the  resolution  to  believe  and  do  like  him;  for  this  apostle  did 
not  preach  with  the  mouth  and  pen  only,  as  too  many  do  who 
philosophize  only  with  the  tongue.  His  whole  life  is  a  sermon, 
a  living  law,  exemplifying  and  authorizing,  in  his  own  char- 
acter, all  that  his  mouth  and  his  pen  had  declared. 

To  be  then  his  perfect  and  accomplished  disciples,  we  must 
imitate  him  in  this  respect.  For  it  will  little  avail  us  to  have 
our  faith  founded  on  his  word,  unless  our  lives  are  also  con- 
formed to  his.  You  well  know  that  the  Lord  of  all  will  judge 
men,  not  by  their  profession,  but  by  their  works;  and  justify 
their  faith  by  the  fruits  it  shall  have  produced.  Let  us,  then, 
continually  place  before  our  eyes  the  conversation  of  this  great 
apostle,  his  zeal,  his  love,  his  humility,  his  charity,  his  patience, 
and  all  the  other  virtues  which  shine  out  in  his  life.  Let  our 
manners  be  cast  in  this  heavenly  mould,  and  formed  exactly 
after  this  beautiful  pattern.  Let  us,  like  him,  obey  the  voice 
of  Jesus,  and  leaving  for  ever  the  evil  way  in  which  vice  or  ig- 
norance had  enthralled  us,  let  us  faithfully  serve  that  blessed 
Saviour  who  calls  to  us  from  heaven.  Let  Him  be  henceforth 
all  our  desire  ;  let  his  glory  be  the  only  aim  in  our  conduct, 
and  the  love  of  him  the  one  law  of  our  life.  Let  us  no  longer 
consult  with  flesh  and  blood,  but  let  their  interests  be  trampled 
under  our  feet.  Let  the  world  be  crucified  to  us,  and  all  its 
pomps  and  vanities  be  held  in  abomination. 

Observe  also  the  love  of  the  apostle  towards  men  ;  how  he 
yielded  and  changed  his  manners  in  outward  things  in  order 


CHAP.   III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  371 

to  win  their  souls  ;  how  he  pitied  their  blindness,  and  even 
wished  himself  accursed  for  their  sakes  ;  what  interest  he  felt 
in  their  welfare,  even  forgetting  his  own  trials,  and  caring 
neither  for  prisons  nor  chains,  if  assured  of  the  prosperity  of 
his  brethren.  How  shall  I  describe  his  constancy  and  the 
strength  of  his  courage,  which  enabled  him  to  despise  the  most 
bloody  persecutions,  prisons,  shipwrecks,  stripes,  and  to  sup- 
port all,  however  dreadful,  not  only  with  patience,  but  even 
with  joy  !  regarding  death  with  calmness,  wishing  for  rather 
than  fearing  it,  and  triumphing  over  whatever  appeared  most 
formidable,  whether  in  life  or  death.  But  in  the  midst  of  all 
this  how  meek,  how  humble  is  this  holy  man  !  He  esteems 
himself  as  nothing;  he  condescends  to  mean  things  ;  he  hesi- 
tates not  to  work  with  his  own  hands  like  a  poor  artisan  ;  to 
say  nothing  of  his  sobriety,  temperance,  and  the  purity  of  his 
private  life,  withdrawn  not  merely  from  injustice  or  dishonesty, 
but  even  from  allowed  pleasures. 

Dear  brethren,  how  far  are  we  yet  from  this  standard  !  we 
who  hate  our  neighbours  ;  who  despise  and  outrage  them;  who 
make  our  profit  of  their  ruin  ;  who  make  it  our  pastime  to  in- 
jure them  ;  who  persecute  our  brethren  instead  of  wishing  well 
to  our  enemies,  and  often  offend  our  neighbours  instead  of  en- 
tertaining strangers;  who,  forgetting  the  teaching  of  Christ, 
the  example  of  Paul,  and  the  very  laws  of  nature  themselves, 
feel  no  horror  in  openly  practising  iniquities  against  those 
whom  we  ought  to  honour  and  cherish  even  more  than  our- 
selves !  How  far  are  we  from  this  model  !  we  who  cannot  suf- 
fer affliction  without  being  almost  in  despair  ;  who  upbraid 
heaven  and  murmur  against  its  decrees  at  the  least  trial  ;  we 
who  are  often  ashamed  of  the  gospel,  and  instead  of  being 
ready  cheerfully  to  seal  its  truth  with  our  blood,  are  unwilling 
to  expose  ourselves  to  the  smallest  inconvenience  for  its  sake  ; 
we  who  are  so  filled  with  self-love,  that  we  imagine  everything 
ought  to  yield  to  our  interests;  and  so  little  habituated  to  the 
moderation  of  the  apostle,  that  the  excess  of  our  pleasures  and 
luxuries  is  only  in  conformity  to  the  manners  of  the  age! 
Christian,  is  this  imitating  Paul?  Is  it  thus  you  follow  the 
example  he  set  before  you  ?  Oh  let  us  henceforth  efface  from 
our  life  this  vile  likeness  to  men  of  this  world,  and  let  us  man- 
ifest a  conformity  to  the  apostle.  Let  us  give  ourselves  no 
rest  until  we  have  copied,  if  not  his  entire  portrait,  at  least  a 
little  sketch  of  the  love,  patience,  humility,  candour,  and  mo- 
deration of  that  holy  man.  And  although  in  him  shine  forth 
all  the  features  of  true  Christianity,  yet  let  us  not  copy  him 
alone.  Let  us  also  contemplate  the  other  saints  who,  in  various 
ages  and  countries,  have  lived  after  the  same  rule.  And  as  it 
is  said  that  a  famous  painter  of  former  times  once  assembled 
around  him  a  number  of  handsome  countenances,  in  order  to 


372  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXIII. 

copy  the  most  beautiful  feature  in  each,  that  he  might  thereby 
produce  a  perfect  face;  so  let  us  assemble  in  our  hearts  the 
portraits  of  the  most  eminent  servants  of  God  who  flourished 
either  under  the  Old.  or  New  Testament.  Let  us  choose  the 
most  beautiful  feature  in  each  character,  and  so  copy  it  that  it 
may  be  manifested  in  our  conversation.  Let  us  imitate  the 
faith  of  Abraham,  the  love  of  Joseph,  the  cheerfulness  of  Mo- 
ses, the  patience  of  Job,  the  zeal  of  Elijah,  the  purity  of  Dan- 
iel, the  ardour  of  Peter,  the  mildness  of  John,  the  obedience 
of  Matthew,  the  repentance  of  Zaccheus,  and  the  devotion  of 
Stephen.  Let  us  leave  no  plant  in  the  garden  of  scripture  from 
which  we  may  gather  a  flower  to  adorn  our  life;  so  that  hav- 
ing faithfully  followed  and  imitated  here  below  the  conversa- 
tion of  these  holy  men,  who  were  set  before  us  as  models,  we 
may  also  partake  of  the  glory,  honour,  and  immortality  which 
they  enjoy  in  the  bosom  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  author  of  their 
and  our  salvation,  the  first  and  sovereign  model  of  all  perfec- 
tion ;  to  whom,  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  true  and, 
only  Lord,  blessed  for  ever,  be  honour  and  glory,  world  with- 
out end.     Amen. 


SERMON  XXIII. 

VERSES   18,  19. 


For  many  walk,  of  whom  I  have  told  you  often,  and  now  tell  you 
even  weeping,  that  they  are  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ: 
whose  end  is  destruction,  ivhose  God  is  their  belly,  and  whose 
glory  is  in  their  shame,  who  mind  earthly  things. 

We  read  in  the  gospel  of  Matthew  that  our  Lord,  among 
other  parables  wherein  he  set  before  his  disciples  the  mysteries 
of  his  kingdom,  proposed  to  them  that  of  a  man  who  had 
sowed  good  seed  in  his  field  ;  but  while  men  slept,  the  enemy 
came  and  sowed  tares  among  the  wheat,  so  that  when  the 
wheat  was  grown  up,  then  appeared  the  tares  also. 

This,  my  brethren,  is  a  striking  picture  of  what  is  daily  oc- 
curring under  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  The  man  who 
sows  is  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the  great  Teacher,  the 
Redeemer  of  the  world.  The  seed  which  he  sows  is  the  word 
of  life,  the  pure  and  wholesome  doctrine  that  he  plants  in  the 
hearts  of  men,  as  his  field,  by  the  hand  and  ministry  of  his 
servants.  The  fruits  produced  thereby  are  faith  and  piety, 
which  render  men  christians  and  the  children  of  God,  instead 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE  TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  373 

of  the  wretched  slaves  of  sin  and  death,  which  they  were  by 
nature.  The  enemy  is  the  devil,  the  prince  of  darkness,  who, 
burning  with  hatred  against  this  holy  work  of  God,  crosses 
and  combats  it  with  all  his  power.  The  night,  wherein  he 
does  his  work,  signifies  the  artifice  and  disguise  in  which  he 
wraps  himself  that  he  may  pass  undiscovered  ;  and  the  sleep 
of  men,  during  which  he  so  artfully  labours,  is  the  negligence 
of  believers,  who,  too  often,  having  their  minds  overcharged 
with  the  affairs  of  this  world,  do  not  give  sufficient  attention 
to  the  object  of  their  high  calling.  The  pernicious  tares 
which  he  sows  in  the  midst  of  them  signify  the  heresies,  false 
doctrines,  and  schisms  which  he  spreads  among  those  who 
make  profession  of  Christianity. 

Such  is  the  picture  which  the  Saviour  draws  of  the  state  of 
his  gospel  and  church  here  below  ;  and  every  succeeding  cen- 
tury has  justified  the  truth  of  the  prediction.  For  never  has 
the  gospel  of  Jesus  been  faithfully  preached  in  any  place,  but 
the  devil,  that  fierce  and  mortal  enemy  of  the  church,  has  also 
scattered  his  bad  seeds,  raising  up  false  teachers,  opposing,  by 
their  means,  truth  with  error,  and  endeavouring  to  darken  the 
faith  of  believers  by  pernicious  impostures.  Thus,  at  the  pre- 
sent day,  there  is  no  part  of  the  christian  field  in  which  the  tares, 
the  work  of  the  enemy,  do  not  manifest  themselves. 

Such  was  also  the  experience  of  our  fathers,  when,  in  the 
midst  of  their  useful  labours,  so  many  evil-workers  arose,  who 
disturbed  the  church  and  scandalized  the  world  by  their  false 
and  destructive  inventions.  The  holy  apostles,  the  first  min- 
isters of  our  Lord,  were  not  exempt  from  this  sort  of  persecu- 
tion ;  Satan  having,  even  in  their  time,  brought  in  various 
strange  doctrines  to  disturb  and  perplex  the  early  christians. 
And  from  that  period  until  now,  if  you  consider  every  age  of 
Christianity,  you  will  find  none  without  this  sort  of  warfare  ; 
for  the  enemy  never  sees  the  heavenly  seed  sown  by  the 
Lord  but  he  immediately  endeavours  to  scatter  his  tares. 

You  may  hence  judge,  my  dear  brethren,  with  what  vigi- 
lance we  should  watch,  and  with  what  earnestness  we  should 
exercise  our  senses  in  discerning  the  productions  of  heaven 
from  those  of  the  earth,  the  seed  of  the  Son  of  God  from  the 
tares  of  the  enemy  ;  not  confounding  them  together  because 
they  spring  out  of  the  same  furrow  or  in  the  same  field. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  apostle  Paul  repeats  in  the  text 
the  injunction  he  had  before  given  to  the  Philippians  in  the 
preceding  verse,  to  mark  them  who  walked  like  himself  in  the 
perfection  of  christian  doctrine  :  "  For  many  walk,  of  whom  I 
have  told  you  often,  and  now  tell  you  even  weeping,  that  they 
are  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ."  It  is  not  without 
cause  that  I  would  open  your  eyes  to  examine  attentively,  by 
the  model  that  I  set  before  you,  those  who  come  to  labour 


374  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIII- 

among  you,  for  you  must  not  suppose  that  all  you  meet  with 
in  this  field  are  the  seed  and  servants  of  God  in  Christ.  Often 
do  his  enemies  conceal  themselves  under  his  name  and  livery, 
and  in  this  disguise  ravage  his  flocks  and  ruin  his  innocent 
sheep  ;  hating  and  fighting  against  that  cross  which  they  pre- 
tend to  adore,  and  carrying  on  their  warfare  in  a  manner  the 
more  dangerous  as  it  is  hidden  and  unsuspected.  And  there- 
fore, in  order  that  the  Philippians  might  hold  such  wicked  and 
unhappy  instruments  of  Satan  in  abhorrence,  the  apostle  re- 
presents them  in  their  true  and  lively  colours.  For  after  hav- 
ing said  that  they  are  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  he 
adds  in  the  next  verse,  "  Whose  end  is  destruction,  whose 
God  is  their  belly,  whose  glory  is  in  their  shame,  who  mind 
earthly  things." 

The  warning  here  given  to  the  Philippians  shall  form  (if  it 
please  God)  the  subject  of  my  present  discourse.  And  in  or- 
der that  you  may  be  enabled  to  understand  it  the  more  fully, 
I  purpose  to  treat  the  two  heads  distinctly  and  consecutively  : 
First,  the  form  and  fashion  of  the  warning,  "I  have  told  you 
before,  and  now  tell  you  even  weeping."  Secondly,  its  matter 
and  substance  ;  and  this  divides  itself  into  five  points,  or  dis- 
tinct qualities,  possessed  by  these  evil-workers  of  whom  the 
apostle  speaks. 

First,  "  Enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ." 

Second,  Their  "  end  is  destruction." 

Third,  Their  "  God  is  their  belly." 

Fourth,  Their  "  glory  is  in  their  shame." 

Fifth,  and  last,  They  "  mind  earthly  things." 

I.  With  regard  to  the  first  subject,  the  apostle  reminds  the 
Philippians  that  he  does  not  now  for  the  first  time  warn  them 
of  the  numbers  and  errors  of  those  false  teachers  of  whom  he 
advises  them  to  beware  :  "  I  have  told  you  often."  From 
whence  it  appears  to  be  the  duty  of  every  faithful  minister  of 
Christ,  not  only  to  preach  the  truth,  but  also  to  reprove  error, 
and  combat  those  who  endeavour  to  corrupt  and  hinder  the 
right  preaching  of  the  gospel.  Paul,  who  here  teaches  us  this 
by  example,  gives  it  as  an  express  command  to  Titus  his  beloved 
disciple,  "Exhort,  rebuke  with  all  authority,"  Tit.  ii.  15  ;  and 
in  like  manner  he  tells  Timothy,  among  other  duties,  to  reprove 
and  rebuke,  2  Tim.  ii.  4. 

Every  church  may  be  compared  to  a  flock  of  sheep,  and  the 
ministers  thereof  may  be  called  shepherds.  Now  the  duty  of 
the  shepherd  is  to  watch  for  the  safety  of  the  flock,  and  to 
guard  it  from  wild  beasts.  For  this  reason  the  prophet  Isaiah 
compares  those  inert  ministers,  who  see  false  teachers  creeping 
in,  without  rebuking  them  and  opposing  their  efforts,  to  "dumb 
dogs  who  cannot  bark,"  Isa.  lvi.  10. 

I  know  very  well  that  these  false  teachers  complain,  and  ac- 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  375 

cuse  of  bitterness  and  want  of  charity,  all  those  who,  unable 
to  endure  their  doctrines,  warn  their  people  of  them,  and  put 
them  on  their  guard,  by  pointing  them  out  clearly,  and  hiding 
none  of  their  evil  qualities.     But  it  is  by  no  means  remark- 
able that  the  barking  of  the  dogs  should  annoy  the  wolves. 
Let  them  cease  to  be  wolves,  and  we  will  cease  to  rail  against 
them.     But  if  they  persist  in  persecuting  our  flocks,  it  is  na- 
tural that  we  should  have  at  least  as  much  courage  and  con- 
stancy in  defending  ourselves  as  they  have  in  attacking  us. 
They  may,  if  they  please,  accuse  us  of  violence;   it  is  suffi- 
cient that  we  have  the  apostle's  example  whereby  to  justify 
ourselves.     He  was  not  satisfied  with  once  warning  the  Phi- 
lippians  against  the  destructive  doctrines  of  the  false  teachers  ; 
no,  says  he,  "  I  have  told  you  often  ;"  and  having  given  them 
these  many  warnings  by  his  voice,  he  repeats  the  same  thing 
in  writing,  "  and  now  tell  you  again."     For  while  the  enemies 
of  our  salvation  are  continually  prowling  around  us,  like  Satan, 
whose  example  they  follow,  and  who  is  described  as  "  going 
about  like  a  roaring  lion,"  1  Pet.  v.  8  ;  while  they  are  never 
tired  of  attacking  us,  but,  however  repulsed  and  driven  away, 
have  always  the  boldness  to  return  again  to  the  assault  ;  the 
faithful  pastor  also  must  not  spare  himself.     He  ought  to  be 
continually  defying  them,  and  with  invincible  courage  should 
oppose  them  in  spite  of  their  malice,  employing  in  so  honour- 
able a  cause  not  only  the  lips  and  voice,  but  also  the  hand  and 
the  pen  ;  as  did  the  great  apostle.     Such  is  his  command  to 
Timothy,  "  Be  instant  in  season,  out  of  season,"  2  Tim.  iv.  2. 
In  so  pressing  a  duty  it  becomes  us  rather  to  be  importunate 
than  indifferent.     The  Lord  gives  a  similar  order  to  his  pro- 
phet Isaiah;  "Cry  aloud,  spare  not;  lift  up  thy  voice  like  a 
trumpet,"  Isa.  lviii.  1.     And  again,  describing  the  ministers 
that  he  would  appoint  over  his  church  in  Jerusalem,  he  pre- 
dicts that  "  they  shall  never  hold  their  peace  day  nor  night," 
Isa.  lxii.  6.     But  here  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  apostle 
adds  that  he  has  given  these  warnings  to  the  Philippians  in 
weeping.     He  testifies  in  another   place  that   he  had  used  the 
same  weapon  with  regard  to  the  Bphesians:  "  By  the  space  of 
three  years  I  ceased  not  to  warn  every  one  night  and  day  with 
tears,"  Acts  xx.  31.     For  this  holy  man  was  not  of  that  hard 
and  pitiless  sect,  which  in  former  times  was  in  such  repute 
among  the  pagans,  where  the  heart  and  affections  of  the  phi- 
losopher were  steeled  and  dried  as  well  as  his  tears  ;  he  was  of 
the  humane  and  tender  school  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  moulded 
his  followers  to  such  exquisite  charity,  that  they  could  not  be- 
hold the  evil  ways  of  a  fellow  creature  without  being  touched 
to  the  quick,  and  feeling  the  deepest  sorrow  ;  who  was  not  him- 
self ashamed  to  weep  when  he  met  with  objects  worthy  of  his 
tears.     Besides  that,  weeping  is  a  necessary  and  natural  conse- 


376  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIII. 

quence  of  pity;  for  it  is  impossible  that  a  soul  can  be  deeply 
touched  without  affecting  the  body,  and  instantly  opening 
that  secret  spring  of  tears  which  God  has  placed  in  our  hearts 
as  a  sign  of  the  softness  and  kindness  of  that  nature  he  has 
given  us  ;  man  alone,  of  all  animals,  having  the  faculty  of 
weeping:  besides,  I  say,  these  tears,  which  in  themselves  ap- 
pear a  trifling  thing,  are  often  very  useful,  and  produce  more 
effects  than  the  most  formidable  strength.  How  often  have 
they  weakened  the  firmest  courage!  How  often  have  they 
brought  about  that  which  neither  reason  nor  violence  was  able 
to  effect  !  Minds  that  had  resisted  all  other  efforts  have  been 
subdued  and  won  by  tears,  and  after  having  stood  firm  against 
the  rudest  shocks,  have  yielded  to  this  apparently  feeble 
weapon. 

But,  to  say  no  more  respecting  the  merits  of  tears  generally, 
it  cannot  be  denied  that  those  of  Paul,  and  of  such  servants 
of  God  as,  after  his  example,  have  shed  them  on  like  occa- 
sions, were  very  necessary;  for  they  proved  their  zeal,  and 
were  an  evidence  that  it  was  neither  envy,  nor  hatred  of  men, 
nor  any  unkind  feelings,  which  animated  them  against  these 
evil-workers,  and  inspired  them  with  such  sharp  and  bitter 
censures  as  they  applied  to  their  doctrine  and  morals.  They 
proved  that  their  warmth  was  but  the  legitimate  offspring  of 
their  love,  and  the  effect  of  a  holy  grief.  And,  of  a  truth,  the 
case  before  us  might  well  draw  tears  from  the  apostle's  eyes  ; 
for  he  saw  on  the  one  hand  the  misery  of  those  whom  he 
reproves,  and  on  the  other  their  danger  to  whom  he  writes. 

He  weeps  for  either  party.  For  with  regard  to  the  first,  is 
it  not  a  lamentable  thing  when  they  to  whom  God  has  granted 
the  knowledge  of  himself  abuse  that  knowledge  to  their  own 
perdition  ;  when,  after  being  marked  with  his  seal  and  en- 
rolled under  his  banners,  they  desert  to  the  service  of  his  en- 
emies, and  fight  against  himself;  when  they  endeavour  to 
corrupt  by  their  secret  poison  those  whom  open  enemies  could 
not  subdue  by  force  ?  Is  it  not  a  spectacle  worthy  of  our  tears, 
to  behold  those  whom  the  Son  of  God  has  redeemed  by  his 
blood  clenched  in  the  claws  of  Satan  ;  to  see  such  as  he  would 
elevate  to  heaven  trampled  in  the  very  dust  ;  to  find  flesh  and 
blood  triumphing  over  the  seal  and  teaching  of  the  Spirit  of 
God  ?  The  hardest  heart  would  behold  with  pity  the  downfall 
of  a  man  from  an  honourable  station  to  indigence  and  sorrow  ; 
what  then  must  be  our  emotion  when  we  contemplate  these 
unhappy  ones  who  are  falling  from  heaven  into  the  abyss  of 
woe,  becoming  teachers  of  error  after  having  been  followers 
of  the  truth,  and,  from  the  glory  of  being  children  of  God, 
drawn  into  the  ignominious  condition  of  the  servants  of  cor- 
ruption ! 

But  besides  their  own  ruin,  well  calculated  to  excite  compas- 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  877 

sion,  the  apostle  would  consider  still  more  the  danger  in  which 
their  malice  placed  the  church  of  Christ  ;  these  impostors 
boldly  occupying  the  place  of  true  and  faithful  teachers,  and 
disguising  their  odious  designs  under  the  most  attractive  col- 
ours. For  their  doctrines  had  charms,  and  the  more,  because 
we  all  naturally  desire  that  which  they  promised  to  their  fol- 
lowers,— peace  with  the  world,  the  favour  and  friendship  of 
those  from  whom  true  christians  had  separated,  and  who  every- 
where stirred  up  against  them  the  most  cruel  persecutions. 

Paul,  seeing  his  converts  whom  he  had  begotten  in  Christ 
with  so  many  afflictions,  whom  he  had  placed  in  the  true  light 
of  life,  by  means  of  such  bitter  pains,  in  such  imminent  dan- 
ger, was  unable  to  restrain  his  tears;  like  a  tender  mother, 
who  cannot  see  her  beloved  children  threatened  with  misfor- 
tune without  terror,  groans,  and  weeping. 

Brethren,  let  us  imitate  the  apostle's  holy  example,  Let  the 
error  of  the  false  brethren,  and  the  danger  of  true  believers, 
awaken  in  our  hearts  sentiments  similar  to  his.  When,  in  the 
midst  of  the  church  itself,  vipers  are  produced  who  devour 
the  entrails  of  their  mother,  and  disturb  the  communion  to 
which  they  belong,  we  have  need  to  weep  and  not  to  laugh  ; 
to  pray  to  God  that  he  would  so  admonish  men  as  to  prevent 
the  effect  of  an  injurious  doctrine  ;  and  to  warn  each  of  the 
brethren  to  beware  of  the  enemy,  and  not  be  deceived  by  the 
mark  he  wears.  This  the  apostle  does  in  the  text  ;  and  be- 
sides his  tears,  in  order  to  give  the  Philippians  a  just  horror 
of  the  false  teachers,  he  unfolds  in  a  few  words  all  the  mystery 
of  their  iniquity,  and  tearing  away  the  deceitful  mask  with 
which  they  covered  themselves,  exposes  them  as  they  really 
were  to  the  eyes  of  true  believers. 

In  the  first  place,  he  tells  them  that  "  many  walk,"  that  is, 
among  the  christians  ;  and  this  would  add  to  the  anxiety  of 
the  Philippians,  for  it  is  evident  that  the  greater  the  number 
of  enemies,  the  greater  the  danger,  and  the  greater  should  be 
our  vigilance.  The  Holy  Spirit  does  not  feed  us  with  vain 
promises  ;  he  does  not  conceal  from  us  the  danger  in  which 
we  are,  or  the  number  of  our  enemies  ;  he  warns  us  of  every 
thing  so  faithfully  that  we  have  no  right  to  plead  being  taken 
by  surprise. 

And  here  I  would  observe,  brethren,  how  inevitable  this 
sort  of  trial  appears  in  the  church.  For  if,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  Christianity,  and  under  the  very  eyes  of  the  apostles, 
there  were  not  few,  but  many,  evil-workers,  as  we  have  just 
seen,  certainly  the  multitude  of  errors,  contradictions,  troubles, 
that  disturb  Christendom  in  our  day,  should  not  surprise  us, 
or  raise  a  doubt  in  our  minds  respecting  the  truth  of  our 
religion  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  should  confirm  it  to  us,  as  an 
evident  mark  that  it  is  the  religion  of  the  apostles,  since  it  is 
48 


378  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  XXIII. 

exposed  to  the  same  adversaries.  For  Satan  leaves  those  who 
follow  lies  quietly  to  themselves,  being  well  assured  of  their 
perdition.  Those  whom  he  opposes  are  generally  followers  of 
the  truth,  because  they  alone  of  all  men  are  likely  to  disturb 
his  reign,  and  are  capable  of  destroying  it.  On  this  account 
there  have  been  many  more  heresies  and  schisms  in  the  chris- 
tian than  any  other  religion  :  in  the  Mahommedan,  for  instance, 
there  are  very  few  ;  so  also  the  popish  faith  reigned  in  Chris- 
tendom in  peace  in  that  respect,  before  the  Lord  revealed  the 
light  of  truth.  As  soon  as  that  bright  sun  arose,  immediately 
thousands  of  serpents  and  venomous  reptiles  manifested  them- 
selves, and  continue  to  this  hour  to  scandalize  the  church  of 
God. 

II.  Let  us  now  observe  particularly  the  apostle's  description 
of  these  men  ;  their  marks,  their  manners,  their  condition. 
As  I  have  already  said,  this  description  comprises  five  distinct 
subjects. 

First,  they  are  "enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ."  I  confess 
(says  he)  that  they  speak  of  Christ  and  his  cross  ;  but  in  reality 
they  are  his  enemies.  They  paint  his  emblems  on  their  ban- 
ners, and  profess  to  follow  him  ;  but  in  secret  they  deny  him 
and  injure  his  cause.  For  do  not  imagine,  brethren,  that  the 
men  of  whom  the  apostle  speaks  were  Jews  or  pagans,  that  is, 
open  enemies  ;  no,  they  had  been  baptized  in  the  name  of 
Christ,  and  they  also  baptized  others.  They  boasted  of  fol- 
lowing the  gospel,  and  of  teaching  it  better  than  any.  Yet, 
notwithstanding  these  appearances,  Paul  cries  respecting  them, 
"  They  are  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ  ;"  that  is  to  say,  of 
the  most  sacred  of  his  mysteries,  the  loftiest  trophy  of  his  vic- 
tory, the  most  salutary  doctrine  of  scripture.  And  this  should 
teach  us  to  judge  of  men  rather  by  their  works  than  words, 
and  not  to  recognize  as  followers  of  the  Lamb  all  who  boast 
of  being  such.  It  often  happens  that  the  very  people  who  in 
words  most  honour  the  cross,  in  deeds  the  most  insult  it. 
They  worship  it  in  name,  but  they  deny  its  power.  They  ex- 
alt it  in  profession,  but  they  darken  its  glory,  unwilling  that 
it  should  be  the  only  justification  of  man,  the  only  expiation 
for  sin,  the  only  sacrifice  capable  of  appeasing  the  wrath  of 
God.  And  as  for  these  of  whom  the  apostle  speaks,  judaizing 
teachers,  mingling  the  law  and  the  gospel,  they  were  certainly 
enemies  of  the  cross  in  many  ways  ;  they  taught  that  man 
can  be  justified  by  the  law,  an  error  most  offensive  to  the 
cross  of  Christ,  since  it  takes  from  him  his  highest  glory,  that 
of  saving  men,  as  Paul  has  elsewhere  declared,  "If  righteous- 
ness come  by  the  law,  then  Christ  is  dead  in  vain,"  Gal.  ii.  21. 
Again,  the  motive  which  induced  them  to  publish  this  doc- 
trine was  nothing  less  than  fear  of  the  hatred  and  persecution  of 
the  Jews,  as  we  learn  from  the  apostle  ;  when  speaking  of  them 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  379 

lie  says,  "  Lest  they  should  suffer  persecution  for  the  cross  of 
Christ,"  Gal.  v.  21.  It  was  the  fear  of  being  called  to  endure, 
for  the  gospel's  sake,  those  sufferings  to  which  its  true  disci- 
ples are  exposed,  which  inspired  them  with  the  love  of  so  per- 
nicious a  doctrine  ;  so  that,  although  in  outward  appearance 
and  profession  they  worshipped  "  Christ  crucified  for  us,"  yet 
in  fact  they  were  enemies  of  his  cross  ;  that  is,  both  of  the 
afflictions  to  which  his  people  are  subject,  and  which  are  fre- 
quently called  his  cross  ;  and  of  the  principal  cause  of  them, 
namely,  a  firm  reliance  thereon.  Again,  after  living  as  slaves 
to  the  flesh,  and  worshipping  the  belly,  as  the  apostle  mentions 
below,  it  is  very  evident  that  in  this  respect  also  they  were 
the  enemies  of  the  cross,  which  has  nothing  more  inimical  to 
it  than  the  flesh  :  for  it  was  elevated  to  humble  the  flesh,  and 
to  cure  us  of  the  bite  of  that  wily  and  deadly  serpent  ;  to  de- 
stroy its  lusts  and  bind  its  passions  :  and  they  who  have  truly 
tasted  the  virtue  of  the  cross  become  new  creatures,  dead  to 
sin  and  the  flesh,  but  alive  to  God  and  the  Spirit  :  so  that  they 
who  follow  the  flesh  and  minister  to  its  desires,  whatever  pro- 
fession they  may  make,  are  really  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of 
the  Saviour  of  the  world.  Added  to  this,  the  cross,  which  is 
the  foundation  of  every  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  is  often,  by  a 
figure  of  speech,  put  for  the  gospel  altogether,  from  whence  it 
follows,  that  people  who  corrupt  its  holy  mysteries  in  any  way, 
whether  in  belief  or  morals,  are  rightly  denominated  enemies 
of  the  cross. 

It  appears,  therefore,  that  we  must  place  in  this  class,  not 
only  those  who  deny  the  death  of  the  Saviour,  (as  do  the 
Turks,)  or  its  merit  and  atonement  in  being  the  perfect  pro- 
pitiation for  sin,  (as  heretics,)  or  who  rob  it  of  its  glory  (as  the 
papists)  by  insisting  on  other  sacrifices  besides  that  of  the  cross, 
or  who  teach  justification  partly  by  works  ;  but  likewise  all 
those  who  endeavour,  by  artifice  and  dissimulation,  to  avoid 
the  afflictions  to  which  a  faithful  profession  of  the  gospel  al- 
ways leads  ;  or  who,  by  the  luxury  and  dissipation  of  their 
lives,  deny  the  power  of  godliness,  notwithstanding  that  out- 
wardly they  retain  the  appearance  of  christians. 

And  although  this  description  of  the  false  teachers,  viz.,  that 
they  "  were  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ,"  might  be  sufficient 
to  excite  a  just  horror  against  them  in  the  breast  of  every  real 
servant  of  the  Saviour,  who  loves  nothing  so  ardently  as  the 
glory  of  his  cross,  the  only  source  of  his  felicity  and  his  life  ; 
yet  Paul,  in  order  more  deeply  to  impress  the  Philippians  with 
the  necessity  of  fleeing  from  such  people,  adds, 

Secondly,  that  their  "end  is  destruction."  I  acknowledge 
that  the  word  "  end,"  which  the  apostle  uses  here,  sometimes 
signifies  the  design  and  intention  of  a  man,  the  end  that  he  pro- 
poses, the  object  at  which  he  aims  ;  and  indeed  it  may  not  be 


380  AN   EXPOSITION   OP  [SERM.   XXIII. 

inappropriate  thus  to  understand  it,  for  the  design  of  these 
men  was  certainly  the  ruin  and  destruction  of  all  who  allowed 
themselves  to  be  seduced  into  their  errors  ;  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  our  Lord  says  that  "  the  thief  cometh  but  for  to  steal, 
and  to  kill,  and  to  destroy,"  John  x.  10. 

But  it  appears  more  suitable  to  suppose  that  the  words  re- 
late rather  to  the  destruction  of  the  seducers  themselves  ;  that 
they  describe  the  horrid  and  endless  ruin  in  which  their  mali- 
cious labours  were  plunging  them. 

And  in  this  light  the  word  "  end"  may  be  understood  in  two 
ways  :  first,  as  salary  or  wages.  For  scripture  employs  it 
sometimes  in  this  signification  ;  as  when  the  apostle,  speaking 
of  the  sins  to  which  men  are  prone  in  a  natural  state,  says, 
"  The  end  (that  is,  the  wages)  of  those  things  whereof  they 
were  now  ashamed,  is  death,"  Kom.  vi.  21.  Some  also  inter- 
pret Peter's  words  in  the  same  way,  "  ^Receiving  the  end  of 
your  faith,  even  the  salvation  of  your  souls,"  1  Pet.  i.  9.  Here, 
in  like  manner,  destruction  is  the  end  of  these  evil- workers  ; 
all  the  wages  they  obtain  for  the  trouble  they  give  themselves 
and  others  being  nothing  less  than  perdition.  0  sad,  but  most 
just  retribution  !  O  blind  and  senseless  madness,  preferring  to 
labour  for  so  unhappy  a  reward,  rather  than  to  aspire  after  the 
precious  wages  reserved  for  the  truly  pious  !  It  is  true  these 
unhappy  people  toil  much — that  cannot  be  denied  ;  the  disci- 
pline they  teach  is  difficult  to  endure,  yet  all  the  recompense 
they  shall  obtain  is  eternal  damnation.  Probably  they  do  not 
imagine  this.  Probably,  intoxicated  with  delight  at  their  own 
vain  works,  they  already  in  imagination  divide  among  them- 
selves, like  the  mother  of  Sisera,  the  spoils  of  the  world,  and 
conceive  that  their  great  and  laborious  designs  will  be  crowned 
with  eternal  glory.  But  the  apostle,  the  faithful  interpreter 
of  the  oracles  of  God,  promises  them  no  other  wages  than  de- 
struction. 

The  same  thing  is  however  signified,  if  by  this  word  "  end" 
we  understand  the  issue  and  success  of  a  matter  ;  as  the  apos- 
tle himself  takes  it,  when,  speaking  allegorically  of  the  world, 
(that  is,  man,)  which  produces  only  briers  and  thorns,  he  adds, 
"  whose  end  is  to  be  burned,"  Heb.  vi.  8.  And  our  Saviour 
also,  in  the  parable  already  quoted  at  the  commencement  of 
this  discourse,  denounces  these  evil-workers  in  the  same  terms  ; 
saying,  "They  shall  bind  the  tares  in  bundles  to  burn  them," 
Matt.  xiii.  30.  Again,  it  is  said  the  "end"  of  such  evil-work- 
ers as  transform  themselves  into  ministers  of  Christ,  will  be  "ac- 
cording to  their  works,"  2  Cor.  xi.  15  ;  in  other  words,  that 
having  lived  and  laboured  as  the  enemies  of  the  Lord,  they 
would  hereafter  be  treated  as  such.  And,  in  fact,  these  people 
always  go  on  from  bad  to  worse.  They  fall  from  one  preci- 
pice to  another,  the  justice  of  God  pursuing  them,  and  awfully 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  381 

witnessing  that  they  have  never  really  loved  the  truth  ;  so 
that,  after  descending  into  various  depths  of  sin,  they  are  at 
length  hastened  into  the  abyss  of  death  and  everlasting  damna- 
tion. 0  believers,  if  we  tremble  at  their  end,  let  us  also  be- 
ware of  their  error  ;  and,  in  order  to  avoid  their  doom,  let  us 
also  avoid  their  crime. 

But  the  apostle,  after  having  shown  us  the  "  end"  of  these 
people,  in  order  to  justify  such  a  consummation,  proceeds, 

Thirdly,  to  represent  to  our  eyes  the  enormity  of  their  sin, 
Their  "god  (says  he)  is  their  belly."  In  another  place,  speak- 
ing in  a  manner  similar  to  this,  and  which  may  serve  to  ex- 
plain the  text,  he  reproaches  them  for  the  same  thing,  saying, 
41  These  serve  not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  their  own  belly," 
Rom.  xvi.  18.  For  when  he  says  in  the  text,  their  "  belly  is 
their  god,"  he  does  not  mean  that  they  literally  believed  their 
belly  to  be  a  god,  and  that  so  feeble  a  part  of  the  human  frame 
could  really  be  a  partaker  of  the  divine  nature,  as  the  pagans 
supposed  with  regard  to  their  false  gods.  Such  a  supposition 
is  too  carnal  to  dwell  in  the  mind  of  any  man.  But  the  holy 
apostle  intended  to  signify  that  to  please  the  belly,  to  indulge 
and  gratify  the  flesh,  was  their  ultimate  object  ;  and  that  so  un- 
holy a  passion  for  the  things  of  the  flesh,  subjecting  all  their 
thoughts  and  desires,  was  the  same  thing  as  though  the  belly 
had  been  the  divinity  they  adored.  For  nothing  was  permit- 
ted to  interfere  with  its  gratification  ;  but,  on  the  contrary, 
everything  was  sacrificed  to  it.  And  as  we  might  say  of  an 
avaricious  man  that  money  is  his  god,  so  the  apostle,  in  like 
manner,  expresses  himself,  saying  that  a  "  covetous  man  is  an 
idolater,"  and  that  "  covetousness  is  idolatry,"  Eph.'v.  5;  Col. 
iii.  5.  For  as  we  ought  to  love  our  God  supremely,  and  con- 
sider his  will  rather  than  our  own,  preferring  his  service  to 
every  other  consideration,  it  is  with  much  elegance  Paul  gives 
the  name  of  god  to  that  which  men  most  esteem,  and  to  which 
all  other  things  are  forced  to  yield. 

Perhaps  he  also  referred  to  the  language  of  these  men,  who 
boasted  of  regarding  nothing  but  the  will  and  glory  of  God 
and  his  Christ  in  the  alterations  they  were  endeavouring  to 
make  in  the  church.  The  apostle  therefore  declares  that  the 
god  to  whom  they  made  these  great  sacrifices  was  really  their 
belly,  and  not  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  or  Jesus 
Christ  himself,  because,  in  fact,  (as  we  have  already  shown,) 
seeing  with  what  rage  the  Jews  persecuted  Paul,  and  that  it 
was  not  possible  for  them  to  preach  the  gospel  purely  without 
kindling  a  like  fury  against  themselves,  in  order  to  be  exempt 
from  this,  and  find  their  preaching  subservient  to  the  flesh, 
(being  above  all  things  desirous  of  its  repose,)  they  retained 
circumcision,  and  mingled  the  law  with  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

Fourthly,  The  apostle  adds,  their  "  glory  is  in  their  shame." 


382  AN   EXPOSITION    OP  [SERM.   XXIII. 

Some  suppose  that  he  intends  here  the  fame  which  these  teach- 
ers enjoyed  ;  for  it  often  happens  that  people  of  this  sort,  by 
the  boldness  of  their  address,  and  the  arrogance  of  their  beha- 
viour, so  impose  upon  the  simple,  that  they  even  prefer  them 
to  the  true  and  faithful  servants  of  God.  Paul  therefore  pro- 
tests that  this  vain  idol  of  glory  and  fame  is  in  truth  but  igno- 
miny and  shame  ;  and  that  the  colours  with  which  it  is  decked 
at  present  will  be  torn  away  by  the  just  decree  of  God,  who 
will  expose  it  in  its  true  light.  In  the  same  manner  Hosea 
speaks,  "  I  will  change  their  glory  into  shame,"  chap.  iv.  7. 

But  this  interpretation,  though  good,  and  followed  by  auth- 
ors of  respectability,  appearing  rather  strained,  it  would  seem 
better  to  apply  the  words  differently,  and  read  it  thus,  "  their 
glory  is  in  their  shame,"  meaning,  they  glory  in  those  things 
of  which  they  ought  to  feel  ashamed,  which  are  rather  shameful 
than  honourable.  For  it  is  usual  in  the  holy  scriptures  to 
give  the  name  of  a  thing  to  the  causes  which  produce  it,  and 
on  which  it  depends.  Thus  Jesus  is  often  called  "our  life,  our 
hope,  our  glory,"  because  he  is  the  Prince  and  Author  of  life 
and  glory.  In  this  sense  Wisdom  speaks,  "  Whoso  hateth  me 
loveth  death,"  Prov.  iii.  6  ;  not  that  such  people  actually  and 
literally  desired  death,  (that  is  opposed  to  our  nature,)  but  it 
signifies  that  they  loved  earthly  things,  and  would  thereby  be 
conducted  to  certain  ruin. 

So  the  apostle,  when  he  says  in  the  text,  "  the  glory  of  these 
false  teachers  is  in  their  shame,"  does  not  mean  that  they  were 
ashamed  of  what  they  did,  and  that  in  such  a  shame  consisted 
their  glory,  (this  would  be  a  most  extravagant  idea,)  but  rather 
that  those  things  in  which  they  gloried  were  worthy  of  shame 
and  blushing  instead  of  boasting.  We  read  in  the  Epistle  to 
the  Galatians,  (chap,  vi.,)  that  among  other  things  they  gloried 
in  the  flesh  of  those  whom  they  persuaded  to  be  circumcised  ; 
as  though  it  were  a  good  action  to  have  corrupted  the  faith  of 
a  christian,  and  placed  the  Lord's  free-men  again  in  a  state  of 
slavery  ;  whereas,  in  reality,  this  was  an  action  worthy  of 
blame  rather  than  praise.  It  cannot  be  doubted  that  they 
boasted  also  of  having  amalgamated  the  religion  of  Jesus  with 
that  of  the  Jews,  whereas  they  should  have  wept  for  having  so 
unhappily  mingled  the  kingdom  of  heaven  with  the  elements 
of  the  earth.  Again,  it  is  probable  they  talked  loudly  of  the 
peace  and  friendship  with  the  Jews,  which  they  had  procured 
for  the  church  by  their  amiable  yielding;  yet  this  in  reality 
was  nothing  less  than  purchasing  ease  and  security  to  the  flesh, 
at  the  expense  of  the  truth  of  God,  and  peace  of  conscience  ; 
the  most  shameful  and  infamous  bargain  of  which  man  can  be 
guilty.  Behold  how  Paul  casts  down  with  a  word  the  glory- 
ing of  these  unhappy  men,  changing  their  boasting  into  confu- 
sion, and  their  trophies  of  honour  into  brands  of  disgrace,  and 


CHAP.   III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  383 

making  their  awful  arrogance  manifest  to  all.  For  although, 
it  is  an  evil  thing  to  be  guilty  of  dishonourable  and  deceitful 
conduct,  yet  does  a  blush  at  the  remembrance  of  evil  deeds 
make  some  small  amends  for  having  committed  them  ;  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  to  glory  in  them  and  rejoice  in  boasting,  in- 
stead of  asking  pardon  on  the  knees,  is  doubtless  the  very 
height  of  insolence. 

Lastly,  the  apostle  gives  the  fifth  mark  of  these  false  teach- 
ers, saying  they  "mind  earthly  things."  Now  some  suppose 
that  this  relates  to  the  Mosaic  ceremonies  which  these  people 
wished  to  retain,  and  which  Paul  elsewhere  calls  "the  weak 
things  of  the  world,"  opposing  them  to  celestial  things,  mean- 
ing thereby  the  mysteries  and  service  of  the  gospel.  But,  hav- 
ing said  that  their  god  was  their  belly,  and  adding,  in  the  fol- 
lowing verse,  "  our  conversation  is  in  heaven,"  it  is  clear  that 
the  words  must  be  taken  in  a  general  sense,  as  in  other  parts 
of  scripture,  especially  Kom.  viii.  5,  "  They  that  are  after  the 
flesh  do  mind  the  things  of  the  flesh."  His  meaning  there  I 
conceive  to  be  this,  that  these  people  possessed  gross  and  sen- 
sual minds,  attached  to  this  world  and  its  pleasures,  without 
raising  their  eyes  higher,  without  being  inwardly  moved  by 
the  Spirit  of  God,  or  having  one  true  and  lively  feeling  of  that 
pure  and  spiritual  glory  which  Christ  has  purchased  and  now 
lays  up  for  us  in  heaven.  For  these  earthly  things  of  which 
he  speaks  are  such  as  relate  to  the  ease,  and  convenience,  and 
pleasure  of  the  flesh,  of  this  weak  and  mortal  state  in  which  we 
now  are,  whether  they  be  riches,  honour,  or  pleasure. 

Thus  much,  beloved  brethren,  for  the  explanation  of  our 
text.  In  order  to  draw  profit  from  it,  we  must  treat  it  in  a 
different  manner  from  the  preceding  one.  In  that  we  con- 
sidered the  character  of  the  holy  apostle,  set  forth  as  our  pat- 
tern ;  now  we  must  examine  that  of  the  false  teachers,  that  we 
may  carefully  avoid  their  snare.  Then  we  endeavoured  to 
copy  the  features  of  that  beautiful  portrait  on  our  own  minds  ; 
now  we  have  to  efface  from  them  the  resemblance  of  this  ;  and 
if  we  have  arrived  at  this  point,  that  we  do  not  find  in  our 
opinions  and  actions  some  (at  least)  of  the  marks  described  by 
Paul,  we  may  be  considered  to  have  made  no  small  progress 
in  the  heavenly  course.  God  grant  it  may  be  so  !  And  cer- 
tainly we  ought  to  be  thus  advanced,  considering  the  honour 
we  have  of  living  in  the  church  of  Christ,  the  Prince  of  life 
and  Author  of  immortality.  But,  alas  !  our  conduct  too 
plainly  shows  that  we  are  yet  far  from  this.  There  are  in  the 
very  house  of  the  crucified  One  those  who  hate  his  cross  ; 
there  are  to  be  found  there,  O  shame  !  people  who  adore  the 
belly,  the  most  infamous  of  idols,  and  who  glory  in  their 
shame.  There  are  to  be  found  in  the  school  of  heaven  those 
who  savour  only  of  the  things  of  earth,  and  in  the  abode  of 
life  and  salvation,  unhappy  beings  whose  end  is  destruction. 


384  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIII. 

We  boast  of  loving  the  cross  of  Christ,  and  ascribe  to  it  the 
glory  of  having  redeemed  us.  If  this  language  be  true,  whence 
comes  it  that  we  still  serve  sin,  which  this  cross  has  destroyed? 
Whence  comes  it  that  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  still  live  in  our 
members?  If  we  love  it,  why  do  we  listen  to  its  enemies? 
Why  do  we  favour  them  ?  Why  do  we  betray  its  glory  ? 
Why  cast  down  its  trophies,  denying  its  virtue,  and  changing 
it  into  an  instrument  of  corruption,  as  though  it  were  of  no 
other  use  than  to  procure  for  us  a  licence  to  sin  with  impunity  ? 
Dear  brethren,  let  us  put  away  from  our  hearts  this  infamous 
idea.  Let  us  truly  love  the  cross  of  Christ,  because  it  is  in- 
deed lovely,  though  in  appearance  so  frightful.  Let  us  embrace 
it  as  the  sole  instrument  of  our  salvation,  as  that  which  has 
appeased  the  wrath  of  God,  silenced  the  demands  of  the  law, 
shut  up  hell,  abolished  sin,  opened  heaven,  and  obtained  for 
us  eternal  life.  Let  every  action  of  our  lives  bear  its  impress, 
and  our  conversation  be  altogether  sanctified  by  it  ;  and  while 
we  leave  its  vain  and  dead  images  to  idolatry  and  supersti- 
tion, let  its  wondrous  virtue  be  manifested  in  our  members. 
Let  this  cross  drive  far  from  them  the  lusts  of  the  devil,  the 
love  of  sin  and  of  the  world.  May  its  thorns  and  nails  pierce 
our  old  nature,  and  its  holy  efficacy  be  upon  us  in  such  wise 
as  that  each  of  us  may  be,  as  it  were,  living  copies  of  the  cru- 
cified One,  who  on  it  accomplished  the  work  of  our  redemption. 
Let  us  for  ever  renounce  the  service  of  idols,  which  this  cross 
has  abolished  ;  not  such  alone  as  the  pagan  in  his  ignorance 
worships,  but  those  also  which  the  world  worships  now  in  the 
very  face  and  light  of  truth. 

The  flesh  is,  of  all  others,  the  great  idol  which  maintains  its 
dominion  over  the  larger  portion  of  mankind.  For  this  mon- 
ster the  arts  are  put  in  requisition  ;  for  it  men  tread  the  desert 
land,  and  brave  the  stormy  ocean,  dreading  no  tempest,  no 
danger,  for  its  gratification.  Its  will  is  so  completely  obeyed, 
that  for  it  the  service  of  the  true  God,  and  the  salvation  of 
men's  souls,  are  utterly  neglected.  At  its  desire,  in  former 
days,  Esau  bartered  his  birthright,  and  its  accompanying 
blessings,  for  a  mess  of  pottage.  It  is  in  the  service  of  this 
idol  that  so  many  unhappy  ones  barter  heaven  and  eternity  for 
a  morsel  of  bread.  This  it  was  which  so  subtilized  the  minds 
of  these  false  teachers  against  whom  Paul  is  here  arguing,  and 
which  instigated  them  to  the  proposal  of  a  pernicious  agree- 
ment between  Judaism  and  Christianity.  This  it  is  which  is 
the  author  of  all  those  things  which  bring  scandal  on  the 
church,  the  inventor  of  the  artful  snares  with  which  Satan  en- 
traps the  world,  and  the  most  dangerous  assistant  he  has  in 
the  destruction  of  men's  souls.  Who  can  describe  the  injustice, 
the  outrages,  the  enormities,  the  excesses  of  this  filthy,  this 
greedy  creature  ?  who  recount  the  robberies  of  time  and  money 


CHAP.   III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  385 

committed  by  it  against  the  service  of  God  ;  the  alms  ravished 
from  the  poor  ;  the  maladies  incurred  even  by  itself  as  a  re- 
ward of  its  deeds  ;  the  paralysis  with  which  it  strikes  the 
mind,  laying  low  all  the  nobler  faculties  ;  the  health  of  which 
it  deprives  the  soul,  plunging  it  into  perdition  that  it  may  be 
entirely  a  slave  to  the  flesh  ? 

Christians  !  suffer  not  yourselves  to  be  governed  by  such  a 
monster.  Kemember  that  you  have  within  you  another  and 
better  part, — the  soul,  formed  in  the  image  of  God,  capable  of 
immortality  ;  unlike  the  flesh,  which  will  be  destroyed  with 
its  aliments.  It  is  the  soul  that  should  govern  and  command  ; 
it  is  the  soul  that  ought  to  direct  your  conduct  during  life. 
The  belly  was  given  to  be  the  servant  and  not  the  master  of 
your  other  members.  Keep  it  in  subjection.  Suffer  it  not  to 
transgress  the  laws  of  God.  You  are  not  forbidden  to  nourish 
it,  but  you  are  forbidden  to  worship  it.  We  may  take  due 
care  of  it,  provided  we  never  allow  it  to  interfere  with  the 
glory  of  God,  the  edification  of  our  neighbour,  or  the  salva- 
tion of  our  own  soul.  For  were  we  reduced  to  this  extremity, 
(which  indeed  could  rarely  occur,)  it  would  be  better  that  the 
belly,  with  all  its  meats,  should  perish,  than  cause  the  least 
prejudice  to  the  interests  of  the  soul.  And  what  I  have  here 
said  with  regard  to  the  belly  is  equally  applicable  to  all  earthly 
things,  for  their  value  is  no  greater  than  it,  nor  their  nature 
more  excellent.  There  are  none  capable  of  rendering  us 
happy,  or  of  guarding  us  from  those  real  evils,  the  pangs  of 
conscience,  the  wrath  of  God,  death,  or  damnation.  There  are 
none  capable  of  withstanding  the  secret  ravages  of  time,  which 
must  inevitably  consume  them  all  ;  and  even  now  are  they 
passing  quickly  away.  They  fly — they  perish  while  I  am 
speaking.  Oh,  when  shall  we  cease  to  desire  so  vain,  so  perish- 
able a  possession  ?  How  long  are  we  to  build  on  so  sandy  a 
foundation  ?  How  long  shall  we  continue  to  grasp  air,  clouds, 
smoke,  shadowy  forms  which  elude  our  embrace?  O  believers, 
let  us  raise  our  hearts  above  the  earth  !  Let  us  use  this  world 
without  abusing  it  !  It  is  disgraceful  for  persons  called  to  a 
heavenly  inheritance,  and  separated  for  the  enjoyment  of 
eternal  life,  to  amuse  themselves  with  mud,  and  delight  in 
earthly  things  :  nay,  it  is  more,  it  is  highly  dangerous  ;  for  the 
apostle  most  clearly  shows  that  everlasting  destruction  is  the 
end  and  reward  of  such  slaves  of  vanity.  If,  then,  we  have 
any  consideration  either  for  our  safety  or  our  consistency,  let 
us  renounce  for  ever  this  infamous,  this  ruinous  bondage,  and 
serve  from  henceforth  the  sovereign  God  alone.  Let  us  sigh 
for  the  happiness  he  promises,  and  desire  only  such  things  as 
will  conduct  thereto. 

May  Jesus  Christ,  the  author  of  our  salvation,  give  us  this 
grace  ;  to  whom,  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  all 
honour,  glory,  and  praise,  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 
49 


386  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIV. 

SERMON  XXIV. 

VERSES   20,  21. 

For  our  conversation  is  in  heaven  ;  from  whence  also  we  look  for 
the  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  :  who  shall  change  our  vile 
body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious  body,  ac- 
cording to  the  working  whereby  he  is  able  to  subdue  all  things 
unto  himself. 

Dear  brethren,  the  body  and  blood  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  mystery  of  which  we  have  this  day  celebrated,  produce  in 
those  who  truly  participate  therein  two  principal  effects.  First, 
this  mystical  food  changes  carnal  and  earthly  men  into  spiritual 
and  divine.  For  while  the  natural  food  which  we  take  for  the 
nourishment  of  our  bodies  loses  its  own  form,  and  becomes  a 
part  of  our  substance,  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ,  on  the 
contrary,  by  their  wondrous  power,  transform  those  who  re- 
ceive them  into  their  nature,  and  produce  in  them  a  likeness 
to  the  Lord  ;  clothing  them  with  his  love,  his  patience,  his 
purity,  and  his  other  heavenly  qualities.  Secondly,  this 
spiritual  food  delivers  us  from  corruption,  and  renders  us  im- 
mortal, according  to  the  promise  of  our  Lord,  "  Whoso  eateth 
my  flesh,  and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life,  and  I  will 
raise  him  up  at  the  last  day,"  John  vi.  54.  For  as  the  tree  of 
life  in  the  garden  of  Eden  had  this  virtue,  that  it  shielded  from 
death  and  perpetuated  life  in  the  man  who  fed  thereon,  so  also 
the  Lord  Jesus,  the  true  tree  of  life,  the  joy  and  happiness  of 
the  second  paradise,  gives  immortality  to  him  who  partakes  of 
his  sacred  fruit,  his  body  and  blood  which  he  has  given  for  us. 
But  while  the  life  of  Eden  was  terrestrial,  animal,  and  subject 
to  change,  as  the  event  has  shown,  that  which  the  flesh  and 
blood  of  Christ  gives  is  celestial  and  unchangeable.  Having 
then  this  day  been  partakers  of  this  sacred  food  and  living 
water  at  the  holy  table  of  the  Lord,  I  consider  that  it  is  suit- 
able after  partaking  of  this  banquet  to  exercise  ourselves  in 
the  meditation  of  the  two  excellent  fruits  which  it  is  calculated 
to  produce  in  us,  in  order  that  we  may  more  effectually  under- 
stand the  value  of  this  grace. 

For  this  purpose  I  have  chosen  for  the  subject  of  my  dis- 
course the  passage  of  Paul  which  has  been  read  to  you,  wherein 
that  great  apostle  describes  these  two  mysteries  : 

First,  Our  condition  after  having  been  brought  into  commu- 
nion with  the  Lord:  Citizens  of  heaven,  men  whose  conversa- 
tion is  in  the  new  Jerusalem. 

Secondly,  The  life  we  look  for  :  Our  vile  bodies  changed  into 
glorious  bodies. 


CHAP.   III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  387 

For  the  apostle  having  in  this  chapter  combated  certain  evil- 
workers,  who  endeavoured  to  subject  christians  to  the  Mosaic 
law,  and  having  declared  that  they  were  enemies  to  the  cross 
of  Christ,  that  their  belly  was  their  god,  and  their  glory  con- 
fusion, as  men  who  desired  only  terrestrial  objects  ;  the  apostle, 
I  say,  now  opposes  to  such  men  the  temper,  condition,  end,  and 
hope  of  true  believers.  "  For  our  conversation  is  in  heaven; 
from  whence  also  we  look  for  the  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  :  who  shall  change  our  vile  body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned 
like  unto  his  glorious  body,  according  to  the  working  whereby 
he  is  able  to  subdue  all  things  unto  himself." 

Therefore,  as  I  have  already  said,  I  purpose  treating  of  two 
subjects  in  the  present  discourse:  Our  citizenship  and  heavenly 
conversation,  and  the  change  hereafter  to  take  place  in  our 
bodies  at  the  second  and  glorious  advent  of  our  Lord,  when 
they  shall  be  conformed  to  his  body. 

And  may  God  enable  us  so  to  meditate  on  these  things  that 
our  souls  may  be  edified  and  built  up,  that  being,  while  here 
below,  citizens  of  heaven,  we  may  hereafter  participate  in  the 
divine  nature  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  sovereign  Prince  of  life. 
Amen. 

I.  Touching  the  first  point,  the  apostle  explains  it  in  few 
words  :  "  Our  conversation  is  that  of  citizens  of  heaven."* 
The  word  here  employedf  may  be  interpreted  two  ways  ;  for  it 
occasionally  signifies  a  republic  or  state  ;  the  author  of  the 
book  of  Maccabees  uses  it  in  this  sense,  when  he  says  that 
Judas,  being  vexed  with  the  perfidy  of  the  inhabitants  of  Joppa, 
resolved  to  destroy  their  republic,  2  Mace.  xii.  7,  that  is,  to 
ruin  their  state  ;  wherein  he  makes  use  of  the  same  word  em- 
ployed in  the  text.  If  then  we  understand  it  thus,  the  apostle's 
meaning  will  appear  to  be  that  our  state  or  republic  is  in  hea- 
ven. But  as  this  word  is  derived  from  another,  which  signifies 
to  converse,  live,  and  conduct  ourselves  in  a  certain  manner, 
agreeably  to  the  customs  of  our  fellow  citizens  ;  and  as  Paul 
uses  it  in  this  sense,  both  in  the  Acts,  (chap,  xxiii.  1,)  where 
he  declares  that  he  has  lived  in  all  good  conscience  towards 
God,  and  in  this  Epistle,  (chap.  i.  27,)  desiring  us  to  have  our 
conversation  as  it  becometh  the  gospel  of  Christ  ;  it  is  evident 
that  the  word  may  be  understood  as  referring  to  conversation, 
character,  and  manner  of  life.  And  thus  it  has  been  translated 
in  the  Vulgate,  and  by  most  of  the  ancient  Greek  and  Latin 
fathers.  Now  although  both  these  interpretations  are  good, 
yet,  if  I  may  venture  to  give  an  opinion,  I  consider  that  the 
first  is  more  simple,  rich,  and  beautiful  than  the  second.  Our 
French  version  has  united  the  two  expressions,  and  translated 
it  thus,  "  Our  conversation  is  that  of  citizens  of  heaven  ;"  and 

*  French  translation.  f  floXfrsipa. 


388  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIV. 

by  the  expression  "citizens  of  heaven"  is  signified  that  our 
city  or  state  is  in  heaven. 

This,  then,  is  our  first  subject,  and  afterwards  we  have  to 
consider  the  necessary  consequence  of  this,  viz.,  that  "our  con- 
versation also  is  in  heaven." 

By  a  city  or  state  we  understand  a  multitude  or  society  of 
people,  united  in  one  body,  governed  by  the  same  laws,  enjoy- 
ing the  same  rights,  subject  to  the  same  prince,  and  having 
among  them  the  same  form  of  policy.  From  whence  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  christian  church,  that  is  to  say,  the  multitude  of 
believers  who  receive  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  as  proclaimed  by 
the  holy  apostles,  is  a  state,  since  all  these  conditions  belong  to 
it  ;  all  believers  composing  but  our  body,  living  under  the 
same  teaching,  having  the  same  laws,  privileges,  customs,  and 
habits,  the  same  form  of  government,  and  being  subjects  of  the 
same  King. 

But  this  holy  republic  differs  entirely  from  the  kingdoms 
of  the  world  in  many  respects,  but  more  especially  in  this, 
(which  indeed  includes  all  the  others,)  that  it  is  in  heaven, 
whereas  all  others  are  on  the  earth.  On  this  account  Daniel, 
predicting  the  foundation  and  establishment  of  this  kingdom, 
contrasts  it  with  those  of  the  world,  of  which  he  had  been 
speaking  :  "  In  the  days  of  these  kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven 
set  up  a  kingdom  which  shall  never  be  destroyed  :  and  the 
kingdom  shall  not  be  left  to  other  people,  but  it  shall  break  in 
pieces  and  consume  all  these  kingdoms,  and  it  shall  stand  for 
ever,"  Dan.  ii.  44.  And  therefore  it  is  that  this  state  is  fre- 
quently denominated  "  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  an  appellation 
as  you  well  know  of  constant  use  in  the  scriptures,  and  em- 
ployed-by  the  Jews  themselves  to  signify  the  church  of  the 
Messiah.  This  holy  kingdom  is  also  called  "  the  city  of  God," 
Heb.  xi.  10;  "Jerusalem  which  is  above,"  Gal.  iv.  26;  and 
"the  new  Jerusalem  which  descendeth  out  of  heaven  from 
God,"  Eev.  xxi.  2.  And  herein  it  differs  not  only  from  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world,  properly  so  called,  but  even  from  the 
state  of  the  first  Adam  in  Paradise,  and  from  the  ancient  Jewish 
republic  in  the  land  of  Canaan. 

This  divine  city  is  really  in  heaven,  first,  because  Jesus,  its 
Prince  and  Builder,  is  heavenly,  not  only  as  regards  his  God- 
head, but  also  as  regards  his  manhood,  according  to  the  doctrine 
of  Paul,  who  says  that  the  second  man,  viz.,  the  Lord,  is  from 
heaven,  1  Cor.  xv.  47  ;  not  formed  of  earth  and  dust,  like  the 
first  Adam,  the  head  of  the  first  republic  ;  not  by  virtue  of 
flesh  and  blood,  like  Moses  the  lawgiver  and  founder  of  the 
Jewish  polity  ;  but  formed  of  celestial  mould,  and  animated 
by  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  as  his  origin  was  heaven,  so  also  is 
his  abode  there  ;  there  is  his  court,  and  the  seat  of  his  empire, 
whether  you  consider  his  divine  or  human  nature.    For  although 


CHAP.   III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  389 

as  God  he.  is  everywhere  filling  all  space  with  his  essence,  yet 
scripture  particularly  insists  upon  his  presence  in  the  heavens, 
because  there  is  no  place  in  the  universe  where  that  presence 
is  so  gloriously  manifested,  to  the  utter  exclusion  of  sin,  death, 
and  sorrow.  It  is  true  that  in  the  flesh  he  conversed  for  a 
season  on  earth,  but  this  only  on  account  of  the  work  of  our 
redemption  ;  and  that  finished,  he  was  immediately  raised  up 
into  heaven,  his  natural  element,  from  whence  this  divine  Lord 
governs  his  empire:  whereas  the  palaces  of  princes,  how  mag- 
nificent soever  they  may  be,  are  all  here  below  ;  and  even  the 
Paradise  destined  for  the  habitation  of  man,  though  delightful 
and  happy,  was  yet  terrestrial  ;  so  also  the  country  of  Canaan, 
the  place  of  the  Mosaic  republic. 

And  as  our  King  is  in  the  heavens,  so  from  thence  is  the 
root  of  our  extraction,  the  source  of  our  blood.  From  thence 
are  all  true  believers,  not  sprung  from  dust,  as  was  the  first 
man  ;  not  from  the  loins  of  Abraham  and  Jacob,  as  were  the 
Israelites  ;  (these  were  of  earthly  original  ;)  but  from  the  eternal 
Spirit,  after  the  pattern  of  Christ  :  and  this  we  learn  from  John, 
chap.  iii.  3,  5,  "  Who  are  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will 
of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God;"  and  also 
from  our  Lord's  discourse  with  Nicodemus,  "  Except  a  man  be 
born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit  he  cannot  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  God."  For  the  Holy  Spirit,  rendering  the  word  of 
life,  which  is  the  seed  of  our  regeneration,  fertile  within  us, 
forms  us  into  new  creatures,  fit  to  enter  into  the  heavenly 
state. 

Further,  in  heaven  is  our  home  and  rest  ;  we  live  on  the 
earth  in  the  character  of  pilgrims  and  strangers  until  the  work 
of  our  trial  be  completed.  Then  will  the  Lord  gather  us  into 
the  celestial  garner,  in  order  that  where  he  is  there  we  may  be 
also.  There  already  dwell  the  first-fruits  of  our  society,  the 
spirits  of  all  the  holy  brethren  who  are  gone  before.  There 
they  now  dwell  with  the  Lamb,  and  there  in  due  time  will  the 
remainder  of  the  happy  citizens  assemble.  Heaven  is  the 
eternal  city  to  which  we  aspire  ;  the  true  Canaan,  flowing  with 
milk  and  honey,  and  abounding  in  delights,  towards  which  we 
are  now  travelling.  There  the  archives  of  our  state  are  kept, 
the  sacred  registers  in  which  the  name  of  every  citizen  is  en- 
rolled. In  heaven  are  also  to  be  found  the  armies  of  our  state  ; 
not  weak  soldiers  armed  with  wood,  or  even  iron,  whose  fidelity 
may  be  corrupted  by  the  artifice  of  the  enemy,  whose  strength 
may  be  weakened  by  illness  or  a  thousand  casualties,  and  whose 
life  may  be  taken  by  the  sword  ;  but  immortal  warriors,  mil- 
lions of  angels  clothed  with  wisdom  and  strength  incorruptible. 
They  watch  over  us  night  and  day,  and  are  sent  here  and  there 
upon  errands  of  mercy  to  us  by  our  gracious  Prince.  Lastly, 
in  this  same  place  are  our  dignities  and  honours  preserved  ; 


390  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIV. 

the  thrones  on  which  we  shall  hereafter  sit  ;  the  cities  of  which 
our  Master  will  give  us  the  dominion  in  reward  of  our  faith- 
fulness ;  the  incorruptible  crowns  with  which  he  will  ornament 
our  foreheads  ;  the  kingdoms  and  priesthoods  with  which  he 
will  invest  us  ;  the  manna  on  which  we  are  to  feed  ;  the  rivers 
of  delights  whereof  he  will  grant  us  to  drink  ;  the  robes  of 
fine  linen,  white  and  clean,  in  which  he  will  clothe  us  ;  in  a 
word,  all  those  rewards  and  blessings  which  will  console  us 
for  our  labours,  and  are  comprised  in  that  blessed  word, 
"  eternal  life,"  now  concealed,  as  Paul  saith,  "  with  Christ  in 
God." 

Thus,  brethren,  you  see  the  holy  apostle  had  a  good  right  to 
say  that  "  our  city,"  or  our  state,  "  is  in  heaven."  But  "  our 
conversation  "  is  also  there.  I  do  not  speak  of  the  time  which 
our  souls  shall  pass  in  heaven  from  the  moment  of  death  until 
the  "  last  day,"  nor  yet  of  the  blessed  eternity  which  we  shall 
spend  in  the  same  place,  and  when  these  truths  will  be  made 
evident  and  clear.  But  I  say  that  even  now,  if  we  are  truly 
christians,  we  have  our  conversation  there.  For  they  who  are 
such  "  have  been  crucified  together  with  Christ,  and  have  been 
raised  up  together,  and  are  sitting  with  him  in  the  heavenly 
places,"  Eph.  ii.  5,  6,  as  the  apostle  also  witnesses  elsewhere. 
I  acknowledge  that  their  body  is  on  earth  ;  but  their  life,  their 
conversation,  is  in  heaven,  each  being  truly  able  to  say,  "  I  live, 
yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me  ;  and  the  life  that  I  now  live 
in  the  flesh  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved 
me,  and  hath  given  himself  for  me."  And  as  the  conversation 
of  the  Israelites  was  in  the  temple  of  Jerusalem,  however  dis- 
tant they  might  be  from  it  with  regard  to  the  body,  because  to 
it  their  thoughts  and  affections  turned  ;  towards  that  place  they 
lifted  their  eyes  in  prayer  when  absent,  and  from  thence  ex- 
pected the  required  succour,  no  captivity,  no  misfortune  ob- 
literating the  memory  of  that  holy  sanctuary,  the  source  of  all 
their  joys  :  so  also  the  christian  beholds  in  heaven  the  true 
Ark,  the  Lord  Christ,  where  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead 
dwells,  not  in  types  and  figures  as  in  the  Mosaic  ark,  but  in 
truth  and  reality  ;  the  Ark  truly  worthy  of  adoration,  the 
only  source  of  joy,  the  living  spring  of  happiness,  where  God 
communicates  with  them,  and  manifests  himself  to  them  ;  where 
he  receives  their  prayers,  pronounces  his  instructions,  and  dis- 
tributes to  them  grace,  life,  and  blessing.  Having  this  treasure 
in  heaven,  there  is  also  their  heart  ;  and  the  heart  being  found 
there,  there  they  have  also  their  life.  In  heaven  their  faith 
dwells,  their  hope  rests,  elevated  above  all  terrestrial  things, 
penetrating  within  the  veil,  anchoring  upon  the  Bock  of  ages. 
There  dwells  the  soul  in  love  ;  and  beholding  throughout  the 
rest  of  the  universe  nothing  but  vanity  and  sin,  it  retires  con- 
tinually into  this  heavenly  palace,  where  it  may  worship  the 


CHAP.   III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  391 

Lord  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  There  it  feasts  upon  the  sight  of 
him,  holds  converse  with  holy  angels  and  departed  spirits,  and 
endeavours  to  stamp  upon  its  own  character  the  impress  of 
theirs  ;  imitating  their  purity,  their  zeal,  their  devotion,  their 
earnestness  in  prayer,  their  warmth  of  love  towards  God  and 
man,  and,  in  fine,  aspiring  after  that  immortality  which  they 
enjoy.  This  is  the  conversation  which  the  apostle  commands: 
"  Seek  the  things  that  are  above,  where  Christ  sitteth  on  the 
right  hand  of  God.  Set  your  affection  on  things  above,  not 
on  things  on  the  earth,"  Col.  iii.  1,  2.  To  have  one's  "  conver- 
sation in  heaven,"  is  to  seek  heavenly  things  and  love  them 
ardently.  Such  is  the  sense  in  which  the  apostle  says,  "  Our 
city  and  our  conversation  is  in  heaven." 

And  with  regard  to  the  first  of  these  truths,  viz.,  that  "  our 
state  is  in  heaven,"  you  see  how  they  deceive  themselves,  who, 
by  a  strange  blindness,  would  transform  the  church  into  a 
visible  monarchy  with  an  earthly  dominion,  wishing  her  to 
possess  a  king,  princes,  magistrates,  armies,  cities,  dignities, 
and  glory  in  the  world.  Certainly  they  have  not  drawn  the 
idea  of  this  imaginary  state,  where  heaven  and  earth  are  mingled 
together,  from  scripture,  but  rather  from  their  own  passions  ; 
which  would  fain  establish,  under  the  name  of  Christ  and  his 
kingdom,  the  interests  of  avarice  and  ambition,  and  would 
miserably  plunge  in  the  earth,  or,  to  speak  more  plainly,  in 
the  mud,  that  holy  republic,  which  the  Lord  Jesus  has  elevated 
far  above  all  heavens.  For  what  can  be  more  earthly  than  their 
state,  the  head  of  which  is  a  man,  a  plain  man,  like  the  other 
princes  of  the  world,  whose  seat  of  government  is  still  the 
same  which  in  former  times  so  long  and  so  cruelly  tyrannized 
over  the  world,  whose  strength  is  in  flesh  and  blood,  whose 
only  support  is  from  the  earth,  metals,  gold,  iron  ;  where  all 
that  is  distributed  is  earthly,  riches,  honours,  dignities;  where 
the  government  is  but  carnal,  founded  entirely  on  human 
maxims  ?  And  as  the  Jewish  rabbins  called  the  earthly  em- 
pire which  they  foolishly  supposed  their  pretended  Messiah 
would  establish  at  his  coming  "  the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  so 
these  people  likewise  are  not  ashamed  to  give  the  uame 
"  Christian  republic,"  "  Catholic  church"  to  their  carnal  state, 
which  has  been  built  up  by  degrees  from  the  ruins,  and  wrecks, 
and  spoils  of  earthly  empires. 

As  for  us,  dear  brethren,  who  know  that  the  kingdom  of  our 
Lord  is  not  of  this  world,  and  that  his  empire  is  in  heaven, 
God  forbid  that  we  should  receive  as  the  sovereign  of  his  church 
any  earthly  man.  Our  Head  and  Sovereign  is  in  heaven,  where 
is  also  our  citizenship. 

But  as  we  have  seen,  secondly,  that  the  conversation  of 
christians  is  heavenly,  it  plainly  follows  that  there  should  be 
nothing  carnal  in  all  their  polity,  whether  with  regard  to  re- 


392  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIV. 

ligion  or  manners.  I  say  with  regard  to  religion,  because 
during  the  Mosaic  dispensation  there  was  something  carnal 
and  terrestrial  in  the  worship  of  the  people  of  God  ;  as,  viz., 
their  sacrifices,  their  circumcision,  their  abstaining  from  cer- 
tain meats,  their  feasts,  and  other  ceremonies.  All  this  was 
well  so  long  as  the  church  was  linked  to  earth,  and  dwelt  in 
Canaan.  Now  we  have  no  other  city  but  a  heavenly,  and  all 
our  worship  ought  to  be  heavenly  and  spiritual.  And  this, 
no  doubt,  is  one  of  the  designs  the  apostle  had  in  view  in  re- 
presenting here  to  the  Philippians  that  our  conversation  is  in 
heaven,  viz.,  to  show  how  vain  were  the  pretensions  of  the 
false  teachers  of  whom  he  spoke  at  the  commencement  of  the 
chapter,  who  were  endeavouring  to  re-establish  the  law  of 
Moses  among  christians.  Be  watchful  then,  brethren,  against 
the  seductions  of  those  who  fill  this  heavenly  city  of  the  Lord 
with  carnal  ceremonies,  whose  worship  is  quite  earthly,  while 
the  true  worship  of  a  christian  is  divine  and  spiritual.  A 
christian  should  worship  the  Lord  in  the  same  manner  as  the 
angels  and  the  spirits  of  the  just  serve  him  in  heaven  ;  not  by 
a  distinction  of  meats  and  days  ;  not  with  images,  and  chaplets, 
and  sackcloth,  and  chastising  of  the  body,  and  holy  water,  and 
such  like  ;  but  in  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  in  faith  and  love,  by  holy  and  honest  thoughts, 
by  fervent  prayer,  by  an  ardent  charity,  and  by  the  continual 
exercise  of  all  the  virtues  that  depend  thereon.  And  this  is 
the  second  part  of  a  christian's  service,  consisting  in  the  sanc- 
tification of  the  life;  that  as  our  city  is  in  heaven,  there  our 
affections  and  desires  may  also  be  ;  so  that  neither  the  world, 
nor  any  thing  belonging  thereto,  shall  henceforth  be  the  aim 
or  object  of  our  life.  This  is  certainly  the  intention  of  the 
apostle  in  declaring  to  the  Philippians  that  our  conversation 
is  in  heaven  ;  for  he  had  just  before  blamed  the  false  teachers 
because  their  belly  was  their  god.  Now  therefore,  in  order  to 
show  that  we  should  have  no  communion  with  such,  he  adds, 
that  the  conversation  of  true  christians  is  in  heaven  ;  whereas 
these  miserable  people  have  their  conversation  plunged  into 
the  filth  of  the  world.  And  from  this  you  perceive  how  false 
is  the  opinion  of  papists,  who  acknowledge  as  members  of  the 
christian  church  those  who,  under  the  profession  of  the  name 
of  Jesus,  conceal  a  life  corrupted  by  the  passions  and  lusts  of 
this  world  ;  whereas  Paul  admits  none  into  the  communion 
of  the  city  of  God,  but  such  as  have  their  conversation  in 
heaven,  and  whose  profession  of  faith  is  accompanied  by  a 
conduct  worthy  of  heaven,  and  by  a  mind  purified  from  the 
corruptions  of  the  earth. 

But  the  apostle  is  not  satisfied  with  saying  that  our  city  and 
conversation  are  in  heaven  ;  he  gives  a  proof  of  it,  and  estab- 
lishes the  fact  in  the  words  following,  wherein  he  adds,  that  it 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  393 

is  from  heaven  we  expect  the  Saviour,  that  is,  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  This  reason  is  drawn  from  the  intimate  union  we  have 
with  this  sovereign  Lord  ;  for  since  he  is  our  Head,  and  we 
are  his  members,  making  together  one  mystical  body,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  it  must  either  be  said  that  the  members  are  separated 
from  the  Head,  (a  monstrous  and  impossible  notion,)  or  that 
we  are  where  he  is,  and  have  our  conversation  there.  Now  he 
is  in  heaven  ;  and  since  he  is  our  life  and  our  happiness,  it  fol- 
lows of  necessity  that  our  souls  must  be  where  he  is.  This 
discourse  of  the  apostle  clearly  shows  that  the  Lord  is  not  on 
earth,  contrary  to  the  dreams  of  such  as  suppose  that  his 
body  is  yet  here  below,  whether  in  all  places,  like  those  who 
hold  its  ubiquity,  whether  on  altars,  or  in  the  mouths  and  sto- 
machs of  such  as  receive  the  sacrament,  as  our  adversaries  of 
the  Church  of  Rome  maintain.  If  it  be  on  earth  as  well  as  in 
heaven,  (as  these  people  suppose,)  who  does  not  see  that  if  his 
presence  is  not  in  heaven,  neither  can  our  conversation  be 
there?  For,  according  to  this  doctrine,  we  could  be  with  him 
as  the  members  with  the  head,  as  those  who  love  with  the  thing 
loved,  without  raising  ourselves  above,  because  he  would  be  in 
the  earth  ;  nay,  in  more  places  therein  (according  to  Rome) 
than  in  heaven.  For  what  need  were  there  to  quit  this  earth 
in  order  to  converse  with  him,  if  we  have  him  here  present 
with  us,  yea,  dwelling  in  our  bodies,  as  our  adversaries  hold? 
Now  Paul  declares  that  our  conversation  is  in  heaven  because 
Jesus  Christ  is  there.  Certainly  then  it  cannot  be  true  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  is  en  earth.  And  as  he  says  "  we  expect  the  Sa- 
viour," it  is  clear  that  he  is  not  with  us.  For  one  cannot  be 
expecting  things  which  are  not  absent.  We  have  already  such 
as  are  present.  And  a  person  would  be  considered  almost  in- 
sane who  should  say  he  was  expecting  one  already  with  him. 
Though  such  language  might  be  considered  rational  by  our  op- 
ponents, it  is  at  least  clear  that  Paul  counted  it  absurd,  saying, 
in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  "  What  a  man  seeth,  why  doth 
he  yet  hope  for?"  Rom.  viii.  24.  Now  he  says  himself  that 
we  are  expecting  the  Lord  Jesus.  He  therefore  did  not  believe 
he  was  already  present.  And  with  regard  to  the  Saviour's 
promise  of  being  with  his  people  even  to  the  end  of  the  age, 
and  of  being  present  in  every  assembly  where  two  or  three 
were  gathered  in  his  name,  what  christian  does  not  know  that 
this  is  to  be  understood  of  the  power,  and  teaching,  and  bless- 
ing of  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  not  of  the  bodily 
presence  and  human  nature  of  Christ  ?  as  the  ancient  fathers 
of  the  church  have  clearly  explained.  For  respecting  his  body, 
scripture  teaches  us  that  it  is  in  the  heavens  ;  Peter  telling  us 
that  "  the  heavens  must  receive  it  until  the  restitution  of  all 
things,"  Acts  iii.  21  ;  and  Paul,  that  in  the  sacrament  of  the 
Lord's  supper  "  we  do  show  forth  his  death  till  he  come,11  1  Cor. 
50 


394  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  XXIV. 

xi.  26,  and  that  we  are  "  looking  for  him  from  heaven  ;"  and 
again,  "  looking  for  his  glorious  appearing,"  Tit.  ii.  14  ;  and, 
lastly,  it  is  the  creed  of  christians,  that  "  he  shall  come  to  judge 
the  quick  and  the  dead  :"  so  that  the  words  of  our  Lord  to  his 
disciples  must  be  understood  with  regard  to  the  body,  "  And 
now  I  go  my  way  to  him  that  sent  me,"  John  xvi.  28  ;  and 
again,  "Me  ye  have  not  always,"  &c,  John  xii.  8. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  the  holy  apostle  commands  us  else- 
where to  "  seek  those  things  which  are  above  ;"  and  the  ancient 
church  warned  the  faithful,  when  speaking  of  the  communion 
of  the  body  of  Christ,  "Lift  up  your  hearts;"  an  evident  token 
that,  in  order  to  embrace  and  enjoy  him,  our  souls  must  mount 
up  to  heaven,  for  this  could  not  be  said  were  he  yet  below,  de- 
scending to  earth  with  the  passions  and  nature  of  a  mortal  man. 

Let  us  then  firmly  retain  this  holy  doctrine,  and,  rejecting 
the  illusions  of  those  who,  in  spite  of  sense  and  reason,  and 
even  of  the  declarations  of  the  word  of  God,  would  persuade  us 
to  believe  that  the  body  of  Jesus  is  yet  here,  let  us  seek  it  in 
heaven,  which  he  really  inhabits  ;  and  let  us  be  satisfied  with 
the  apostle's  assurance  that  he  reigns  there  in  the  midst  of  an- 
gels and  blessed  spirits,  without  inquiring  with  vain  curiosity 
respecting  the  exact  situation  thereof,  whether  it  be  towards 
the  east  or  the  west,  or  whether  he  be  sitting  or  standing,  or 
making  other  questions  of  like  nature,  matters  of  importance 
which  scripture  has  not  revealed.  The  holy  scripture  tells 
us  what  it  is  indeed  of  infinite  importance  to  know,  both  for 
our  edification  and  consolation,  that  Jesus  shall  come  from 
heaven  in  like  manner  as  he  was  seen  to  go  up  to  heaven,  in 
order  to  judge  the  world  in  righteousness,  and  render  to  every 
man  according  to  his  deeds.  This  Paul  most  distinctly  de- 
clares in  our  text,  saying,  "From  whence"  (viz.,  from  heaven) 
u  we  look  for  the  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Oh  the 
wonderful  advantage  of  believers  !  Other  men  tremble  at  the 
coming  of  Jesus  Christ,  believers  desire  it.  They  expect  him 
as  their  Saviour,  others  fear  him  as  their  Judge.  On  this  ac- 
count the  apostle  here  specially  gives  him  the  title  of  Saviour. 
True,  he  may  be  called  the  "Saviour  of  all  men,"  as  in  point 
of  fact  Paul  gives  this  appellation  to  God,  inasmuch  as  he  calls 
all  men,  without  distinction  of  age,  sex,  nation,  or  condition, 
to  the  reception  of  his  grace  by  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  But 
with  regard  to  his  appearance  at  the  last  day,  he  can  only  be 
called  "  a  Saviour"  to  believers.  All  others  shall  be  destroyed, 
the  time  allotted  to  faith  and  repentance  being  past.  And  the 
sense  of  the  name  Saviour  must  be  especially  and  entirely  re- 
strained to  believers  in  interpreting  these  words,  "  from  whence 
we  look  for  the  Saviour,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;"  that  is,  in 
order  to  fulfil  towards  us  the  truths  promised  in  that  name,  de- 
livering us  from  all  evil  and  from  death,  the  last  enemy,  and 


CHAP.  III.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  395 

bestowing  upon  us  every  good  tiling.  Thus  the  title  of  Sa- 
viour, here  given  to  the  Lord,  is  not  given  vainly.  It  explains 
the  whole  passage,  showing  us  that  we  have  good  reason  to 
have  our  conversation  in  heaven,  because  it  is  from  thence 
alone  we  look  for  salvation  and  the  author  of  our  happiness, 
all  other  things,  wherever  we  turn  our  eyes,  being  contrary  to 
us.  The  apostle  also  declares  elsewhere  that  we  are  "looking 
for  that  blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious  appearing  of  the  great 
God  and  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,"  Tit.  ii.  13  ;  and  again,  in 
another  place,  (Rom.  viii.  19 — 22,)  he  treats  this  doctrine  more 
at  length,  saying  that  "  we  who  have  the  first  fruits  of  the  Spi- 
rit" are  groaning  within  ourselves  while  waiting  for  the  adop- 
tion ;  yea,  even  that  the  whole  universe  is  sighing  for  that  day, 
and  expecting  with  fervent  desire  the  revelation  or  manifesta- 
tion of  the  sons  of  God,  hoping  at  that  time  to  be  delivered 
from  the  bondage  of  corruption  and  sin  to  which  they  are  now 
subject,  and  permitted  to  share  in  his  glorious  liberty.  For 
this  second  coming  of  our  Lord,  whom  we  are  expecting  from 
heaven,  shall  be  the  accomplishment  of  his  promises  and  of  our 
hopes.  It  will  be  the  consummation,  by  giving  us  possession  of 
that  heaven  to  which  we  have  now  only  the  claim  and  hope, 
instead  of  the  actual  enjoyment. 

II.  This  the  apostle  declares  in  the  second  and  last  clause  of 
the  text,  saying  that  this  blessed  Lord,  being  revealed  from 
heaven  according  to  our  expectation,  "shall  change  our  vile 
body,  that  it  may  be  fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious  body,  ac- 
cording to  the  working  whereby  he  is  able  to  subdue  all  things 
unto  himself."  There  is  nothing  in  the  world  which  so  strong- 
ly resists  belief  in  the  citizenship  of  heaven  to  which  we  are 
called  as  the  condition  of  our  body.  Our  soul  being  spiritual, 
and  capable  of  conceiving  and  desiring  immortality,  it  does 
not  appear  strange  to  us  that  this  glory  should  be  promised  to  it  ; 
and  there  have  even  been  wise  heathens  who,  enlightened  solely 
by  the  light  of  nature,  have  elevated  their  minds  to  this,  and 
have  boldly  taught  that  the  human  soul  was  a  celestial  sub- 
stance, and  that  heaven  was  its  true  home.  But  when  we  cast 
our  eyes  upon  this  poor  fiesh  which  clothes  us,  subject  to  a 
thousand  infirmities,  and  finally  to  death,  which  destroys  its 
beauty,  we  are  at  a  loss  to  comprehend  how  those  who  partake 
of  so  weak  a  nature  can  be  citizens  of  the  sanctuary  of  immor- 
tality ;  this  principle  being  deeply  graven  in  our  heart,  and 
Paul  himself  expressly  declaring  it,  that  "  flesh  and  blood  can- 
not inherit  the  kingdom  of  God,  neither  can  corruption  inherit 
incorruption,"  1  Cor.  xv.  20.  To  the  end  therefore  that  this 
idea  may  not  prevent  us  from  receiving  what  he  has  just  taught, 
namely,  that  our  city  and  conversation  are  in  heaven,  he  here 
sets  forth  a  truth  which  instantly  clears  away  the  whole  diffi- 
culty, viz.,  that  this  body,  which  indeed  in  its  present  state  is 


396  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXIY. 

incapable  of  entering  heaven,  shall  be  changed  by  the  mighty 
power  of  the  Lord,  and  clothed  with  those  qualities  which  are 
needful  to  it,  in  order  that  it  may  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
glory,  being  made  conformable  to  his  own  body.  This  is  the 
chief  and  last  difference  between  believers  and  other  men.  All 
must  rise  in  order  to  be  judged  ;  but  all  will  not  be  changed. 
That  will  be  the  case  with  such  only  as  are  destined  to  be  cit- 
izens of  heaven,  that  is  to  say,  with  true  believers.  The  apos- 
tle here  briefly  touches  upon  each  part  of  this  great  mystery  : 
First,  the  author  of  our  change  ;  this  shall  be  "  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Secondly,  the  subject  of  this  change  ;  "  our  vile 
body."  Thirdly,  its  form  ;  "  rendered  conformable  to  his  glo- 
rious body."  And  fourthly,  the  power  by  which  it  shall  be 
accomplished  ;  "  according  to  the  working  whereby  he  is  able 
to  subdue  all  things  to  himself." 

With  regard  to  the  first,  the  Lord  Jesus  attributes  to  him- 
self the  glory  of  this  work,  when  he  repeats  several  times  in 
John's  Gospel,  that  he  will  give  unto  us  eternal  life,  and  will 
raise  us  up  again  at  the  last  day.  He  has  already  given  us  the 
type  in  his  own  resurrection,  having  raised  up  at  the  end  of 
three  days  the  temple  of  his  body,  destroyed  by  the  Jews  ;  and 
having  established  it  in  glory,  as  he  expressly  foretold. 

The  subject  which  shall  be  glorified  is  this  same  body  in 
which  we  now  dwell,  as  the  apostle  clearly  proves  by  calling 
it  "  vile  ;"  and  in  another  place  for  the  same  reason  he  calls  it 
an  "  earthly  tabernacle  ;"  and  Job,  speaking  of  this  subject,  de- 
clares the  body  to  be  "  a  house  of  clay  whose  foundation  is  in 
the  dust."  Certainly  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  Lord  has 
shown  incomparable  wisdom  and  power  in  the  composition  of 
the  body  ;  in  the  structure  and  union  of  its  parts  ;  in  their  dis- 
position, symmetry,  and  proportion  ;  in  the  multiplicity  of  its 
faculties  ;  in  the  diversity  and  exquisite  arrangement  of  its 
organs;  in  the  form  of  every  member,  and  wonderful  adapta- 
tion to  its  use  ;  the  whole  conducted  and  managed  with  so 
much  ease,  that  it  is  beyond  a  doubt  that  the  human  body  is  the 
most  beautiful  and  the  most  perfect  of  all  bodies  ;  so  much  so 
that  a  barbarian  philosopher  has  said  that  it  is  a  miracle  sur- 
passing the  elements  and  the  heavens  themselves.  And  one 
of  the  servants  of  God,  rapt  in  the  contemplation  of  this  sub- 
ject, exclaims,  "  I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made,"  Psal. 
cxxxix.  14.  This  great  subject  has  also  supplied  to  the  first 
physicians  and  sages  of  the  world  matter  for  excellent  books, 
in  which  these  mysteries  of  the  body  are  set  forth  and  admired. 
And  in  this  respect  I  must  confess  that  our  body  should  not 
be  called  "  vile,"  but  rather  held  as  the  master-piece  of  creation, 
as  a  mirror  in  which  we  behold  the  Creator  reflected,  and  as 
an  excellent  proof  of  his  wisdom  and  power.  In  respect  to 
this  we  may  maintain  that  there  is  nothing  low  or  vile  in  the 


CHAP.   III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  397 

works  of  the  Lord  ;  all  manifest  the  utmost  wisdom,  even  to 
the  smallest  herbs  which  adorn  the  fields,  or  to  the  minutest 
insects  which  range  through  the  air  or  creep  upon  the  earth. 
But  although,  absolutely  speaking,  all  the  creatures  of  God  are 
wonderful,  yet,  in  comparing  them  one  with  another,  a  marked 
difference  appears,  so  that,  without  disparaging  the  divine  Ma- 
jesty, some  may  be  considered  low  and  vile  in  proportion  to 
others.  In  this  manner  the  apostle  speaks  of  our  body,  calling 
it  vile  in  comparison  with  the  heavenly  and  glorious  body  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  For  it  is  evident  that  in  this  respect  it  is  a 
thing  very  weak  and  base,  far  below  the  beauty  and  excellence 
of  his  admirable  body.  Its  weaknesses  are  of  two  kinds  :  some 
may  be  called  innocent,  being  natural  to  it  from  the  creation, 
others  are  the  consequences  of  sin.  Among  the  first  I  would 
place  the  requirements  of  the  body  in  order  to  sustain  life,  such 
as  food,  sleep,  &c,  and  all  the  infirmities  which  these  require- 
ments produce.  Among  the  second  I  would  place  sickness, 
sorrow,  and  a  thousand  casualties  to  which  sin  has  subjected  our 
bodies  ;  and,  lastly,  death,  the  greatest  of  all  our  evils,  which 
brings  the  whole  machine  to  ruin,  tears  it,  as  it  were,  in  pieces, 
mars  its  beauty,  renders  it  an  object  of  horror  and  disgust,  and 
at  length  reduces  it  to  so  imperceptible  a  powder  that  it  ap- 
pears almost  nothing.  These  infirmities  are  common  to  all 
men  ;  neither  can  the  glory  of  a  sceptre,  or  an  empire,  exempt 
any  from  a  participation  in  them.  But  believers  appear  pecu- 
liarly exposed  to  these  infirmities  ;  their  bodies  being  subject 
to  the  insults  and  outrages  of  the  wicked,  who  omit  nothing  in 
order  to  disgrace  them  as  much  as  possible.  But  be  comforted, 
0  ye  bodies  of  believers.  How  vile  soever  you  may  now  be,  the 
apostle  assures  you  that  you  shall  one  day  be  clothed  in  the 
glory  of  the  Son  of  God. 

Far,  far  from  us  be  those  heretics,  whether  ancient  or  mo- 
dern, who  would  snatch  from  us  this  sweetest  hope  of  our 
hearts  ;  pretending  and  teaching  that  these  same  bodies  in 
which  we  now  dwell  are  not  those  that  shall  rise  again  and 
reign  in  heaven,  and  many  other  similar  inventions  of  their 
own  brain.  The  apostle  secures  us  from  being  carried  away 
with  such  delusions,  saying,  "  The  Lord  shall  change  our  vile 
body,  that  he  may  fashion  it  after  his  glorious  body."  He  de- 
clares that  it  shall  be  changed,  and  not  destroyed;  transformed, 
and  not  annihilated.  Its  vileness  shall  be  taken  away,  but  its 
substance  shall  be  preserved.  Otherwise  it  would  not  be  "  our 
vile  body  "  which  is  made  like  unto  the  body  of  the  Lord. 
For  that  which  no  longer  exists  can  be  rendered  conformable 
to  none.  And  the  term  "  transform,"  made  use  of  by  the 
apostle,  sufficiently  shows  that  this  change  is  only  in  its  form, 
and  not  in  its  nature  itself.  The  example  of  our  Lord's  body, 
after  which  model  ours  is  to  be  renewed,  clearly  proves  the 


393  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIV. 

same  truth;  the  evangelists  informing  us  that  the  body  which. 
Jesus  showed  to  his  apostles  after  his  resurrection  was  the  very 
same  that  had  been  crucified  and  buried  in  the  sepulchre.  It 
retained  its  substance,  its  essential  form,  its  lineaments  and 
features.  It  was  changed  only  in  its  qualities,  having 
become,  instead  of  weak  and  mortal,  glorious  and  imperish- 
able. 

Paul,  in  another  place,  touching  it,  as  it  were,  with  the  hand, 
and  showing  us  that  it  is  of  our  own  bodies  he  is  speaking, 
declares,  "This  corruptible  shall  put  on  incorruption,  and  this 
mortal  must  put  on  immortality,"  1  Cor.  xv.  53.  And  the 
Holy  Spirit  explains  to  us  this  mysterious  truth  in  the  words 
of  Job,  saying,  "  Though  after  my  skin  worms  destroy  this 
body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God  :  whom  I  shall  see  for 
myself,  and  mine  eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  another,"  Job  xix. 
26,  27.  Be  it  then  conceded,  that  this  same  body  which  we 
now  behold  in  so  base  and  sad  a  state,  shall  be  stripped  of  all 
its  weakness  and  vileness,  and  rendered  "  conformable  to  the 
glorious  body  of  the  Lord  Jesus."  See,  brethren,  how  far  the 
love  of  God  is  carried.  He  intends  that  every  part  of  your 
being  should  feel  his  benevolence  and  goodness.  This  body, 
which  appears  an  unworthy  thing,  the  sport  of  time,  the  food 
of  worms,  shall  have  a  share  in  his  gifts.  He  will  raise  it 
from  the  tomb,  he  will  snatch  it  from  the  hands  of  death,  and 
from  the  dust  to  which  death  has  reduced  it,  to  re-establish  it 
in  life  ;  and  surely  more  than  this  you  could  not  have  dared 
to  hope  :  nevertheless,  this  is  not  all.  Besides  life,  he  will  be- 
stow upon  it  glory;  and,  that  you  may  not  be  kept  in  sus- 
pense, he  declares  he  will  adorn  it  with  his  own  glory,  render- 
ing it  conformable  to  his  own  body.  0  marvellous  goodness  ! 
O  mercy  truly  divine!  The  body  of  a  poor  creature  made  like 
the  body  of  his  great  Creator!  Is  it  possible  that  there  can  be 
in  the  whole  world  a  Pharisee  so  proud  or  so  hardened  as  to 
pretend  to  deserve  so  great  an  honour,  and  to  accuse  God  of 
injustice  in  case  he  is  given  a  glory  less  than  that  of  the  Son  ? 
The  Gospels  and  the  book  of  the  Acts  teach  us  what  sort 
of  body  the  Lord's  was,  after  his  resurrection.  First,  that  it 
was  a  true  human  body,  having  flesh  and  bones,  visible  and 
palpable,  with  its  members  and  features  appropriate,  but  gifted 
with  all  those  imperfections  which  are  not  incompatible  with 
its  nature  ;  bright,  and  shining,  and  immortal,  and  imperish- 
able, and  sustaining  itself  by  the  power  of  a  living  spirit, 
without  any  need  of  eating,  or  sleeping,  or  any  other  require- 
ment of  animal  life.  Such,  then,  shall  our  bodies  be  after  the 
blessed  resurrection.  They  shall  continue  in  the  nature  of 
real  human  bodies,  but  clothed  with  heavenly  light,  vigour, 
beauty,  and  immortality  ;  for  which  reason  Paul  calls  them 
"  spiritual  and  celestial  bodies,"  1  Cor.  xv.  44.     We  may  form 


CHAP.  III.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIAN9.  399 

some  idea  of  their  glory,  from  the  fact,  that  when  the  Lord 
showed  the  pattern  to  his  three  disciples  on  Mount  Tabor,  they 
became  as  men  entranced,  and  completely  dazzled  with  the 
splendid  sight.  This  the  scripture  teaches,  Matt.  xvii.  1  ; 
Mark  ix.  2.  Let  us  not,  however,  be  curious  beyond  the  fact 
revealed  ;  let  us  not  inquire  concerning  the  interior  of  these 
bodies  ;  whether  they  will  still  have  bile,  and  phlegm,  and 
such-like  humours,  and  of  what  use  such  members  will  be  in 
heaven,  which  now  serve  to  maintain  the  functions  of  animal 
life.  These  would  be  useless  questions  ;  time  alone  can  eluci- 
date them  ;  let  us  therefore  be  satisfied  with  knowing  that  our 
bodies  shall  be  perfect  in  all  points  as  the  Lord  has  promised 
us. 

And  let  us  not  doubt  of  our  happiness  from  the  idea  that 
such  a  change  is  incompatible  with  natural  causes.  I  freely 
confess  that  it  requires  a  power  no  less  than  infinite  to  raise  a 
body  from  dust,  and  restore  it  to  life,  and  I  acknowledge  a  like 
power  to  be  necessary  in  order  to  transform  a  vile  body  into  a 
glorious  body.  But,  my  friends,  let  it  never  be  forgotten  that 
this  Jesus,  from  whose  hands  we  expect  the  miracle,  has  infi- 
nite power.  This  the  apostle  declares  in  the  last  verse  of  my 
text,  saying  that  the  Lord  will  render  our  bodies  like  unto  his, 
"  according  to  the  working  whereby  he  is  able  even  to  subdue 
all  things  unto  himself."  There  is  nothing  in  heaven  or  in 
earth  which  is  not  subject  unto  him.  Do  not  then  consider  it 
impossible  that  the  elements  should,  at  his  command,  faithfully 
return  the  matter  of  our  bodies  of  which  each  had  possessed 
itself;  nor  that  this  matter  should  receive  without  resistance 
the  form  he  intends  to  bestow  ;  nor  that  vileness  should  give 
place  to  glory,  and  weakness  to  strength,  so  that  they  may  be 
raised  up  divine  and  glorious  bodies  instead  of  earthly  and 
terrestrial  ones.  To  raise  a  body  from  the  dust  is  not  more 
difficult  to  the  Lord  than  to  form  it  out  of  nothing.  He  will 
therefore  clothe  them  with  power  and  glory  as  easily  as,  at 
the  first,  he  adorned  the  sun  with  the  light  wherewith  he 
shines  ;  for  as  the  apostle  speaks  of  his  mighty  power  in  up- 
holding all  things,  it  follows  clearly  that  it  was  he  who  created 
them  ;  as  no  one  can  possess  a  sovereign  right  over  them  ex- 
cept him  from  whom  they  have  their  being. 

Believers,  as  this  great  God  uses  his  goodness  and  power  for 
your  happiness,  exert  in  his  service  all  the  power  that  you 
possess.  Embrace  his  precious  promises,  and  live  up  to  so 
high  a  calling.  Place  continually. before  the  eye  of  faith  the 
glory  and  eternity  of  the  future  state.  Bemember  that  you 
are  citizens  of  heaven,  and  do  nothing  unworthy  of  such  a 
citizenship.  Look  upon  this  earth  as  a  foreign  country. 
Envy  not  its  pleasures.  Covet  not  its  good  things.  Shut 
your  eyes,  and  ears,  and  senses  to  the  delusion  of  its  charms. 


400  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIV. 

These  pleasures  which  the  world  lays  before  you  with  so  much 
pomp  are  but  vain  things  which  soon  pass  away.  They 
charm  and  dazzle  the  eye,  but  there  is  nothing  real  or  solid  in 
them.  And  if  nothing  else  will  convince  you  of  their  weak- 
ness and  vanity,  this  at  least  must,  their  short  duration.  For 
do  we  not  see  them  perish  every  instant?  Where  are  now  all 
those  great  empires  whose  glory  formerly  resounded  through 
the  world  ?  Scarcely  may  the  ruins  of  them  be  found,  and  it 
cannot  be  doubted  that  those  we  now  see  will  pass  away  in  the 
same  manner.  How  then  can  private  houses  and  families  pro- 
mise themselves  that  stability  which  belongs  not  to  the  great- 
est monarchies  ?  But  whatever  may  be  their  general  condi- 
tion, thus  much  is  certain,  that  neither  the  wealth  nor  the  ho- 
nours of  this  world  can  guaranty  their  possessor  from  death 
or  any  other  misfortune.  There  is  no  possession  but  that  of 
the  new  Jerusalem  which  frees  its  citizens  from  death.  As  it 
is  eternal,  continually  subsisting  amidst  all  the  wrecks  and  ruins 
of  the  world,  so  also  it  renders  all  those  who  have  the  right 
of  citizenship  immortal.  Since  then  God  has  honoured  you 
with  this  right,  and  even  to-day  has  given  you  the  token 
thereof,  Oh!  do  not  envy  worldly  men  the  vanities  and  shadows 
which  they  embrace  with  so  much  ardour.  Mingle  not  your 
designs  and  affairs  with  theirs.  What  has  the  disciple  and  ci- 
tizen of  heaven  in  common  with  the  men  of  this  earth  ?  Ele- 
vate then  your  thoughts,  your  affections,  your  hopes,  to  the 
eternal  city  which  is  above.  There  is  your  country  ;  there 
Jesus,  the  Prince  of  your  salvation,  reigns;  there  dwell,  in 
profound  peace,  far  removed  from  the  storms  of  this  life,  the 
angels  your  friends,  the  prophets,  apostles,  patriarchs,  and  the 
spirits  of  the  just  made  perfect,  the  first  fruits  of  our  race. 
There  you  shall  also  be  gathered  after  this  pilgrimage  shall  be 
ended.  There  peace,  which  no  war  can  disturb,  eternally 
reigns,  a  calm  without  fear  of  trouble,  a  tranquillity  without 
danger  of  a  storm.  There  alone  true  bliss  can  be  found,  holi- 
ness, content,  knowledge,  love,  glory,  immortality  ;  in  a  word, 
that  sovereign  happiness  we  have  elsewhere  sought  in  vain. 
Neither  sin,  nor  ignorance,  nor  weariness,  nor  tears,  nor  sor- 
rows, nor  death,  can  have  entrance  there.  To  this  then,  dear 
brethren,  let  us  aspire.  Let  this  holy  and  glorious  city  be 
henceforth  all  our  desire.  Let  us  make  it  the  object  of  our 
hopes,  our  thoughts,  our  endeavours.  Let  our  conversation 
on  earth  show  forth  its  holy  image.  Let  us  in  such  wise  live 
as  that  every  one  shall  acknowledge  us  to  be  citizens  of  hea- 
ven, brethren  of  the  angels.  Let  their  love,  their  charity,  their 
purity,  their  holiness,  henceforth  shine  among  us.  Let  us,  like 
them,  be  attentive  to  the  voice  of  our  sovereign  Lord,  continu- 
ally contemplating  his  holy  and  glorious  countenance,  admiring 
his  wisdom,  adoring  his  goodness,  burning  with  affection  for 


CHAP.  III.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  401 

him,  loving  his  commands,  and  freely  and  cheerfully  obeying 
them.  These  are  the  manners  of  citizens  of  heaven  :  not  to 
worship  flesh  and  blood  ;  not  to  run  after  the  wind  ;  not  to  be 
clothed  in  rags  or  smeared  with  mud  ;  not  to  adore  shells  or 
shining  bits  of  glass,  or  other  elements  of  earth  ;  these  are 
the  vain  and  puerile  occupations  of  the  children  of  this  world. 
Should  the  world  ridicule  your  aim  instead  of  applauding  it, 
should  it  be  offended  rather  than  admire  you,  remember  that 
strangers  are  frequently  treated  thus.  Their  customs  are  con- 
sidered trivial  and  absurd  by  those  who  do  not  understand 
them.  If  the  world,  piqued  at  a  mode  of  life  so  contrary  to 
its  own,  will  not  give  you  a  share  in  its  honours  or  employ- 
ments, consider  that  this  again  is  a  calamity  to  which  they  who 
travel  in  distant  lands  are  subject,  and  comfort  yourselves  by 
the  remembrance  of  the  dignities  that  you  possess  in  the  house 
of  God.  Having  the  privilege  of  being  citizens  of  heaven, 
you  need  not  regret  that  you  are  not  citizens  of  the  earth. 
Though  men  despise  you,  how  much  has  God  done  for  you! 
He  has  chosen  you  for  his  priests,  his  ministers,  companions 
of  his  angels,  brothers  of  his  Christ.  All  the  indignities  and 
endurances  of  this  world  can  never  counterbalance  the  glory 
that  awaits  you  in  another.  And  since  our  bodies  are  to  par- 
take of  this  glory,  being  made  conformable  to  the  body  of 
their  Lord,  let  us,  brethren,  purify  them  also,  and  carefully 
keep  them  as  vessels  consecrated  to  God,  as  the  temples  of  the 
Lord,  in  which  hereafter  his  glory  shall  shine.  Let  us  early 
adorn  them  with  all  the  beauty  of  which  their  nature  is  capa- 
ble ;  with  purity,  chastity,  sobriety.  Let  no  vice  ever  soil 
them.  Let  them  have  no  communion  with  effeminacy  and 
luxury,  with  vanity  and  self-indulgence.  Let  them  serve  none 
but  Jesus  their  legitimate  Lord.  Let  them  labour  in  his  cause 
and  carry  his  cross.  Since  he  has  created  and  redeemed  our 
bodies  and  souls,  washed  them  in  his  blood,  and  sanctified  them 
to  his  service,  and  since  he  will  honour  them  with  a  share  in  his 
glory,  rendering  them  like  unto  him  by  the  greatness  of  his 
power,  it  is  most  reasonable  that  we  should  devote  both  to  his 
service,  and  glorify  him  with  our  whole  being,  body  and  soul. 
Now  to  him,  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  truly  and 
only  God,  blessed  for  ever,  be  glory,  honour,  and  praise,  world 
without  end.     Amen. 


Preached  at  Oharenton,  Sunday,  SOth  June,  164L 


51 


402  AN  EXPOSITION   OP  [SERM.   XXV. 


•      SERMON  XXV. 
CHAPTER  IV. 

VERSES    1 — 3. 

Therefore,  my  brethren,  dearly  beloved  and  longed  for,  my  joy  and 
croivn,  so  stand  fast  in  the  Lord,  my  dearly  beloved.  I  beseech 
Euodias,  and  beseech  Syntyche,  that  they  be  of  the  same  mind  in 
the  Lord.  And  L  entreat  thee  also,  true  yokefellow,  help  those 
women  which  laboured  with  me  in  the  gosj^el,  with  Clement  also, 
and  zoith  other  my  fellow  labourers,  whose  names  are  in  the  book 
of  life. 

Dear  brethren,  as  there  is  nothing  so  grand  or  so  glorious 
in  its  aim  as  christian  piety,  so  also  there  is  nothing  more  self- 
denying  and  laborious.  Besides  the  quality  of  the  things 
themselves,  far  exalted  above  our  natural  power,  of  which  it 
enjoins  the  study  and  practice,  the  malice  and  resistance  of 
powerful  enemies  enhance  our  difficulties.  For  the  world  and 
the  devil  never  cease  working  and  endeavouring  as  much  as 
possible,  both  to  prevent  men  from  embracing  the  gospel,  and 
to  counteract  and  check  their  labours  when  they  have  em- 
braced it  ;  so  that  the  believer  has,  at  one  and  the  same  mo- 
ment, to  repulse  the  enemy  and  to  advance  the  work  of  piety 
within  himself;  in  like  manner  as  the  Jews  of  old,  who  re- 
turned from  Babylon  under  the  conduct  of  Nehemiah,  were 
obliged  at  once  to  build  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and  be  pre- 
pared for  an  attack  of  the  adversaries.  If  there  be  any  pro- 
fession in  the  world  which  requires  extreme  caution  and 
vigilance,  firm  resolution,  assiduous  labour,  and  indefatigable 
constancy,  without  a  doubt  it  is  yours,  O  christian  !  The 
majority  of  other  labourers  can  quit  their  work  when  they 
please,  for  their  recreation  and  amusement  ;  and  when  they 
again  apply  themselves,  they  find  it  as  they  left  it.  But  it  is 
not  so  with  you.  When  you  leave  your  work  it  is  often 
spoiled,  and  not  to  advance  in  it  is  to  go  back;  like  a  man 
who  by  strength  of  arm  swims  against  the  current  of  a  river; 
should  he  relax,  even  a  little,  the  water  immediately  carries 
him  back,  and  snatches  from  him,  in  a  moment,  the  advantage 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  403 

he  had  gained  with  so  much  time  and  trouble.  Thus  is  it  with 
you.  This  torrent  of  vice  and  corruption,  against  which  you 
swim,  will  carry  you  again  in  a  moment  to  the  abyss  from 
which  the  Saviour  has  drawn  you,  if  you  venture  to  relax  the 
efforts  and  vigour  of  your  minds.  The  holy  apostle  Paul,  one 
of  the  best  masters  in  this  school,  who  well  knew  this  truth, 
does  not  content  himself  with  teaching  the  doctrine  of  love 
among  believers  ;  he  exhorts  them  earnestly  to  persevere 
therein  ;  and  having  planted  them  in  the  courts  of  the  Lord, 
he  there  shuts  them  in,  and  arms  them  carefully  against  all  the 
efforts  of  the  enemy,  who  continually  seeks  to  draw  them  away. 
This  is  the  office  he  is  now  rendering  to  the  Philippians  in  the 
text  you  have  just  heard  read.  He  sees  them  full  of  faith  and 
zeal,  boldly  retaining  the  wholesome  doctrines  he  had  taught, 
in  spite  of  the  endeavours  of  the  false  teachers  to  corrupt  and 
insnare  them.  This,  it  cannot  be  denied,  was  much,  and  me- 
rited approbation  ;  but  Paul  was  not  ignorant  of  the  infirmity 
of  our  nature,  or  of  the  obstinacy  and  perseverance  of  Satan 
and  his  emissaries  ;  and  therefore,  before  concluding  this 
Epistle,  he  once  more  reminds  his  flock  of  the  duty  of  conti- 
nuing unto  the  end,  holding  fast  the  truth,  enjoying  more  and 
more  of  the  peace  of  God  and  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  of  living  in  the  daily  exercise  of  every  christian  virtue. 
Then,  having  thanked  them  for  the  charity  they  had  shown 
towards  him,  he  finishes  this  letter  in  his  usual  manner,  with 
the  most  friendly  salutations.  Such  is  the  summary  of  this 
last  chapter.  And  in  order  to  give  the  exposition  of  its  com- 
mencement, which  I  have  just  read  to  you,  we  will  consider, 
with  the  Lord's  help,  the  three  portions  separately  which  pre- 
sent themselves  to  our  notice.  The  first  is  the  exhortation 
addressed  generally  to  all  the  faithful  in  that  church  to  continue 
steadfast  in  the  truth  :  "  Finally,  my  brethren,  dearly  beloved 
and  longed  for,  my  joy  and  crown,  so  stand  fast  in  the  Lord, 
my  dearly  beloved." 

The  second,  in  the  following  verse,  is  a  prayer  especially 
addressed  to  two  females  in  the  church  to  continue  also  in  the 
same  sentiments  :  "I  beseech  Euodias,  and  beseech  S}7ntyche, 
that  they  be  of  the  same  mind  in  the  Lord." 

And  lastly,  the  third  is  a  prayer  of  the  same  description  to 
an  individual  whose  name  he  does  not  mention,  but  whom  he 
exhorts,  by  the  zeal  of  these  two  women,  to  assist  them,  and 
render  them,  as  opportunity  may  offer,  all  the  good  offices 
needful  for  the  furtherance  of  their  piety  and  love  :  "  And  I 
entreat  thee  also,  true  yoke-fellow,  help  those  women  which 
laboured  with  me  in  the  gospel,  with  Clement  also,  and  with 
other  my  fellow  labourers,  whose  names  are  in  the  book  of 
life." 

I.  Respecting  the  first  of  these  subjects,  you  may  remark 


40-4  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXV. 

with  what  kindness  he  insinuates  himself  into  the  hearts  of 
the  Philippians,  manifesting,  on  the  one  hand,  such  tender  and 
warm  affection,  and,  on  the  other,  bestowing  the  truest  praise 
to  which  a  christian  can  aspire.  First,  he  calls  them  "brethren," 
an  appellation  the  most  affectionate  and  kind  that  can  be  used, 
and  one  rendered  sacred  both  in  the  ancient  and  modern 
church,  being  employed  to  signify  that  holy  and  divine  union 
which  links  its  members  in  one  common  bond.  He  drops  the 
words  "children"  and  "disciples,"  which  the  privilege  of  being 
an  apostle  allowed  him  to  use  ;  and  descending  from  the  throne 
on  which  the  Lord  had  seated  him  to  judge  the  twelve  tribes 
of  Israel,  he  mingles  among  them,  calling  in  sweet  humility 
"  brethren  "  those  who  were  in  reality  "  children,"  since  he  had 
begotten  them  in  the  gospel.  And,  as  if  fearful  that  this  word 
would  not  sufficiently  express  his  affection,  he  adds  two  others, 
calling  them  not  merely  his  brethren,  but  his  "  dearly  beloved 
brethren,"  and  "  longed  for  ;"  and,  not  yet  satisfied,  he  repeats 
one  of  these  epithets  at  the  end  of  the  verse,  "  Stand  fast  in 
the  Lord,  my  dearly  beloved."  Now  you  must  not  for  an 
instant  suppose  that  these  expressions  were  artfully  used,  as 
worldly  men  are  wont  to  use  them,  calling  them  brothers  whom 
they  hate,  and  often  professing  the  greatest  friendship  for  those 
they  are  about  to  deceive.  There  was  yet  more  affection  in 
Paul's  heart  than  in  his  mouth  ;  and  of  this  he  had  given  the 
Philippians  such  proofs  that  they  could  not  doubt  it,  having 
sealed  with  blood  the  love  he  bore  them,  by  placing  his  life  in 
peril  in  order  to  communicate  to  them  the  truth  of  God.  It  is 
thus  that  ministers  of  the  gospel  ought  to  love  the  faithful 
whom  they  instruct,  regarding  them  as  brothers,  as  the  best 
beloved  and  longed  for  throughout  the  world.  For  do  they 
not  owe  this  love  to  them  whom  the  Son  of  God,  their  Lord 
and  Master,  so  greatly  loved,  that  for  their  life  he  was  willing 
to  die  upon  the  cross?  And  besides  this  general  reason,  the 
marks  of  their  own  ministry,  the  effects  of  their  preaching, 
which  they  see  among  them,  must  produce  an  especial  affection 
towards  them.  Nature  itself  has  given  us  this  feeling,  that  we 
bear  particular  love  to  those  to  whose  production  or  preserva- 
tion we  ourselves  have  contributed  in  any  way.  This  holy 
love  is  the  only  weapon  (after  the  truth  of  the  heavenly  doc- 
trine) by  which  good  pastors  insure  obedience.  Paul  here  sets 
them  an  example,  treating  the  Philippians  as  brethren,  not  as 
slaves,  and  linking  them  to  the  Saviour's  yoke,  not  by  the  fear 
of  anger  and  the  severity  of  punishment,  but  by  the  cords  of 
love,  and  with  the  bands  of  a  man.  Force  and  threats  may 
make  hypocrites,  but  they  will  never  make  true  christians. 

But  while  these  first  words  express  the  affection  of  the  apos- 
tle, the  following  witness  to  the  piety  of  the  Philippians,  whom 
he  calls  his  "joy  and  crown."     For  as  this  holy  man  found 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  405 

happiness  only  in  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  world 
being  crucified  to  him,  to  say  that  the  Philippians  were  his 
"joy"  was  to  bear  witness  that  Jesus  reigned  among  them,  that 
the  faith  of  his  gospel  was  in  full  vigour,  and  triumphed  in 
them  over  the  vices  and  follies  of  the  world.  The  zeal  and 
perseverance  of  this  church  comforted  the  apostle  in  the  midst 
of  his  sufferings.  The  spiritual  prosperity  of  the  Philippians 
alleviated  the  anguish  of  his  temporal  afflictions.  Yet  with 
regard  to  this  joy,  every  church,  by  what  hand  soever  it  might 
have  been  planted,  was  equally  capable  of  imparting  it.  That 
which  follows,  however,  where  he  calls  the  Philippians  his 
"crown,"  can  only  belong  to  the  flock  which  he  had  assembled 
and  established  by  the  labour  of  his  own  preaching.  For  he 
meant  to  say  that  they  were  the  subject  of  his- honour,  glory, 
and  ornament,  in  the  same  sense  as  we  say  of  a  child  well 
brought  up,  or  a  scholar  well  taught  that  the  one  does  honour 
to  his  father,  and  the  other  to  his  Master.  Thus  the  devoted- 
ness  of  the  Philippians  worked  to  the  glory  of  Paul.  Their 
constancy  and  virtue  in  the  profession  of  the  gospel  proved 
how  excellent  must  be  the  ministry  of  which  they  were  the 
fruits.  It  was  always  to  the  apostle  a  token  for  good  to  behold 
his  children  so  well  formed  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  Those 
within  blessed  him  for  it,  and  such  as  were  without  were  con- 
strained to  acknowledge  his  worth  by  the  effects  of  his  preach- 
ing. But  besides  the  fruit  he  now  reaped  by  their  obedience, 
he  has  respect  to  that  which  they  should  bring  him  at  the  judg- 
ment-day, when  the  Lord  should  crown  his  labour  and  reward 
him  for  his  work  by  bringing  forth  the  Philippian  church  as 
one  of  his  master-pieces,  and  should  crown  him  therewith  as 
with  a  precious  jewel.  For  we  must  understand  this  ornament 
of  the  apostle  to  extend  even  to  that  day,  as  he  himself  teaches 
us  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  Epistle,  where  exhorting  the 
faithful  to  live  as  becometh  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  to  shine 
as  lights  in  the  world,  he  expressly  gives  this  reason,  "  That  I 
may  rejoice  in  the  day  of  Christ  that  I  have  not  run  in  vain, 
neither  laboured  in  vain,  Phil.  ii.  16.  He  says  also  of  the  Co- 
rinthians that  they  "  are  his  rejoicing  in  the  day  of  Christ," 
2  Cor.  i.  14.  This  praise,  my  dear  brethren,  is  grand  and  mag- 
nificent. For  what  title  more  glorious  than  this  can  be  given 
to  a  church,  to  say  that  it  is  the  crown  and  ornament  of  so 
great  an  apostle'?  He  honours  few  churches  in  like  manner. 
That  of  the  Thessalonians  is  one:  "  What  is  our  hope,  or  joy, 
or  crown  of  rejoicing  ?  Are  not  even  ye  in  the  presence  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his  coming?"  1  Thess.  ii.  19,  20. 

From  whence  you  see,  on  the  one  hand,  what  should  be  the 
ambition  of  the  ministers  of  the  Lord  ;  not  to  rule,  not  to 
abound  in  riches  and  worldly  pomp,  but  rather  that  holiness 
may  abound  in  their  floods,  and  (as  John  expresses  himself  to 


406  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXV. 

the  lady  in  his  Second  Epistle)  to  have  their  "  children  walk  in 
truth."  This  is  their  true  glory  and  crown.  And,  on  the  other 
hand,  you  see  what  is  the  first  and  highest  acknowledgment 
that  flocks  owe  to  their  pastors  ;  it  is  to  hold  them  in  honour, 
to  form  their  life  and  conversation  on  the  word  preached,  so 
that  God  and  men  may  bless  them,  and  that  their  ministers 
may  say  of  them  with  truth,  "  You  are  our  joy  and  crown." 

After  having  won  their  hearts  by  these  sweet  and  affectionate 
words,  he  proceeds  to  his  exhortation,  "Stand  fast  in  the  Lord." 
He  often  uses  the  word*  which  has  been  translated  "  stand 
fast,"  to  signify  perseverance  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel  ;  as  in 
the  Epistle  to  the  Eomans,  chap.  v.  2,  "  We  have  access  by 
faith  into  this  grace  wherein  we  stand,  and  rejoice  in  hope  of 
the  glory  of  God."  Again,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians, 
chap.  v.  1,  in  a  like  exhortation,  he  says,  "  Stand  fast  in  the 
liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us  free,  and  be  not  en- 
tangled again  with  the  yoke  of  bondage."  Again,  Eom.  xiv. 
4,  "  Who  art  thou  that  judgest  another  man's  servant  ?  to  his 
own  master  he  standeth  or  falleth  :"  and  so  in  several  other 
places.  It  may  be  taken  in  this  same  sense  in  the  passage  be- 
fore us  ;  "  stand  fast  in  the  Lord,"  or,  persevere  with  con- 
stancy in  the  faith  of  Christ,  and  in  his  holy  communion, 
without  suffering  any  thing  to  stagger  you,  and  cause  you  to 
lose  so  happy  a  footing.  But  what  is  the  apostle's  meaning 
in  saying  "  so  stand  ?"  Some  understand  this  word  to  relate 
to  what  he  had  just  taught  them,  that  it  is  the  duty  of  a 
christian  to  renounce  all  confidence  in  the  flesh  and  in  himself, 
in  order  to  embrace  the  Lord,  and  seek  in  him  alone  justifica- 
tion and  glory,  accounting  all  other  things  as  nothing;  to 
which  he  now  adds,  so  they  must  stand  fast  in  Jesus  Christ  : 
this  they  maintain  to  be  the  sole  and  only  signification.  But 
it  appears  to  me  more  simple  that  it  should  relate  to  the  pres- 
ent state  of  the  Philippians  :  "  So  stand  fast  in  the  Lord,"  that 
is,  as  you  stand  now,  without  lending  an  ear  to  false  teachers, 
or  adding  their  poison  and  bad  leaven  to  the  holy  doctrine 
which  you  have  received  and  retained  until  this  day.  He  thus 
praises  their  fidelity,  and  approves  their  purity,  which  they 
had  preserved  until  then,  and  prays  them  to  maintain  it  in  fu- 
ture without  any  foreign  admixture.  But  we  must  weigh 
carefully  the  word  with  which  the  apostle  commences  this  ex- 
hortation, "Therefore,  my  brethren,  so  stand  fast  in  the  Lord;" 
and  this  plainly  proves  that  it  is  drawn  from  what  he  had  be- 
fore said.  Bear  brethren,  you  must  remember  that  this  was 
the  last  instruction  in  the  preceding  chapter,  that  perdition 
was  the  end  of  those  false  teachers  who  endeavoured  to  se- 
duce them,  that  they  had  the  belly  for  their  god,  that  their 


CHAP.   IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  407 

glory  was  shame,  and  the  earth  all  their  desire,  whereas  the 
citizenship  of  christians  is  in  heaven,  from,  whence  they  expect 
the  Saviour,  who  shall  transform  their  vile  bodies,  and  render 
them  like  his  glorious  body.  Who  does  not  see  that  this  doc- 
trine involves  clearly  and  necessarily  the  duty  to  which  Paul 
now  exhorts  them  ?  For  since  it  is  to  heaven  that  the  Saviour 
now  calls  them,  since  it  is  to  heaven  he  will  raise  our  bodies 
in  order  to  transform  them  like  unto  his  glorious  body,  is  it 
not  reasonable  that  we  should  fly  as  pests  those  who  would  de- 
tain us  on  earth,  and  keep  us  under  carnal  and  earthly  instruc- 
tion ;  and  that  we  should  endeavour  to  continue  firm  in  the 
communion  of  that  blessed  Lord  who  is  preparing  for  us  such 
exalted  glory,  without  suffering  the  pure  and  holy  faith  we 
have  received  from  the  apostles  to  be  altered  and  sophisticated 
by  the  garbling  of  false  teachers  ?  This,  then,  is  the  exhorta- 
tion Paul  gives  to  all  the  Philippians  in  general. 

II.  He  then  turns  more  especially  to  two  individuals  whom 
he  mentions  by  name  :  "  I  beseech  Euodias,  and  beseech  Syn- 
tyche,  that  they  be  of  the  same  mind  in  the  Lord."  There  is 
no  mention  of  these  two  persons  in  any  other  part  of  the  New 
Testament.  But  it  is  evident  from  this  that  they  were  two 
women  of  considerable  influence  in  the  Philippian  church. 
And  this  is  further  manifest  by  the  testimony  the  apostle  gives 
them  in  the  followiug  verse  of  having  faithfully  and  diligently 
served  the  Lord  in  his  gospel.  I  confess  that  we  never  ought 
to  suspect  things  of  which  we  have  no  proof,  more  particularly 
with  regard  to  the  manners  and  conduct  of  believers.  At  the 
same  time,  there  is  much  probability,  although  the  apostle 
does  not  expressly  mention  it,  that  these  two  women  had  lent 
an  ear  to  the  false  teachers,  and  had  suffered  themselves  either 
to  be  deceived  and  seduced  away  from  the  faith,  or  at  least  to 
be  tried  and  embarrassed  by  their  subtleties.  For  why  should 
the  apostle  warn  them  so  especially  as  he  does  to  be  "  of  the 
same  mind,"  unless  they  had  been  drawn  away  from  the  com- 
mon faith,  or  were  in  imminent  danger  of  being  so  ?  To  say 
that  theirs  was  not  a  difference  upon  religious  matters,  but 
some  misunderstanding  between  themselves  upon  domestic 
subjects,  is  trivial.  For  that  he  should  condescend  thus  to 
name  them  expressly  in  a  public  Epistle  written  to  the  whole 
body  of  the  church,  proves  (to  me)  most  clearly  that  this  dif- 
ference was  of  much  greater  consequence  than  a  mere  private 
dispute.  Then,  again,  the  place  where  this  exhortation  is  found 
sufficiently  proves  the  same  thing.  For  after  having  exhorted 
all  the  Philippian  believers  generally  to  remain  firm  as  they 
had  done  hitherto,  he  immediately  adds,  that  he  prays  these 
two  women  to  be  "  of  the  same  mind."  Why,  then,  should 
these  be  named  unless  they  had  appeared  to  be  of  another 
mind  ?   And  to  this  must  be  added  the  frequent  mention  made 


408  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXV. 

in  this  Epistle  of  "  dogs"  and  "  evil-workers  ;"  an  evident  sign 
that  there  were  some  persons  in  the  flock  who  had  allowed 
themselves  to  be  deceived  by  the  seducers.  And,  lastly,  the 
term  employed  in  this  place  by  the  apostle  evidently  proves 
(to  my  mind)  that  it  is  to  be  understood  thus  ;  because  he  does 
not  simply  exhort  these  two  women  to  be  "  of  the  same  mind," 
but  he  adds  expressly  "  in  the  Lord  :"  which  shows  that  the 
unity  of  sentiment  to  which  he  would  bring  them  regards 
Jesus,  and  not  the  world  ;  the  interests  of  the  house  of  God, 
and  not  those  of  their  families.  Paul,  having  understood 
that  they  were  in  this  state,  that  is  to  say,  that  they  had  either 
embraced  error,  or  (which  I  consider  most  probable)  were  in 
danger  of  falling  into  it,  through  the  subtlety  of  these  deceiv- 
ers, prays  them  expressly,  calling  each  by  her  name,  to  with- 
draw from  those  teachers,  and  continue  with  the  faithful  in  the 
common  belief  of  the  christian  church. 

This  therefore  being  presupposed,  we  have,  brethren,  to  re- 
mark, first,  that  the  most  exalted  and  excellent  among  be- 
lievers are  not  always  exempt  from  the  trials  and  importunities 
of  error.  The  two  women  of  whom  we  are  speaking  were  so 
influential,  that  the  apostle,  in  the  following  verse,  does  them 
the  honour  of  associating  them  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,  say- 
ing that  they  had  laboured  with  him  in  the  gospel.  Yet,  not- 
withstanding this,  they  had  listened  to  the  seducers.  Be  not 
surprised  then,  sometimes  to  see  those  who  have  laboured  in 
the  gospel  with  the  apostles  carried  away  themselves,  or  per- 
sons considerably  advanced  in  the  truth  seduced  by  false  teach- 
ers. As  snails  will  soil  the  brightest  flowers,  so  Satan  and  his 
ministers  endeavour  to  spread  the  filthiness  of  their  errors  and 
extravagance  in  the  purest  and  most  esteemed  minds.  They 
have  the  boldness  to  attack  the  stars,  and  hurl  their  wickedness 
into  the  highest  and  most  sacred  places  in  heaven.  There  is 
no  person  in  the  church  who  is  not  exposed  to  this  warfare. 
Since,  therefore,  we  are  in  a  common  danger,  let  us  all  stand 
upon  our  guard  to  repulse  the  enemy  courageously,  if  ever  we 
should  be  attacked. 

And  although  this  exhortation  may  be  addressed  general^, 
yet  the  sex  of  Euodias  and  Syntyche  seems  to  counsel  chris- 
tian women  to  apply  it  more  particularly  to  themselves.  It 
was  to  Eve  that  Satan  addressed  himself  in  Paradise,  and  Paul 
says  that  the  woman  "  being  deceived  was  in  the  transgression," 
1  Tim.  ii.  14.  The  success  of  his  first  temptation  is  the  cause 
of  the  father  of  lies  continuing  to  use  the  same  stratagem  by 
attacking  the  same  sex.  And  the  apostle  has  told  us  plainly 
that  these  false  teachers,  of  whom  he  complains  so  much  in  his 
Epistles,  "  creep  into  nouses,  and  lead  captive  silly  women 
laden  with  sins,  led  away  with  divers  lusts,  ever  learning,  and 
never  able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,"  2  Tim.  iii. 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  409 

Ô,  7.  Certainly  we  read  in  the  history  of  the  church  that  wo- 
men were  the  first  who,  under  the  semblance  of  devotion,  com- 
menced the  worship  and  adoration  of  the  Virgin,  and  some 
centuries  after  introduced  veneration  for  images.  Two  Greek 
princesses,  Irene  and  Theodora,  were  so  resolute  to  establish 
this  latter  abuse,  that  they  gave  themselves  no  rest  till  it  was 
done.  Christian  women,  it  is  not  to  brand  your  sex  that  I 
mention  these  errors,  but  rather  to  show  you  how  carefully 
you  should  resist  the  enemy  who  has  induced  you  to  commit 
them.  As  he  has  more  especially  endeavoured  to  seduce  you, 
be  more  resolute  in  your  opposition  and  resistance  of  him. 
Reject  his  allurements,  suspect  all  his  devices.  Shut  your  ears 
against  his  errors,  and  let  all  your  senses  be  controlled  by  the 
gospel  of  Jesus,  so  that  he  cannot  take  advantage  of  the  sweet- 
ness and  tenderness  of  your  natural  disposition,  either  to  ruin 
you,  or  to  seduce  your  neighbours.  Never  listen  to  his  dis- 
courses against  the  word  of  God,  nor  in  opposition  to  the  con- 
gregation of  his  people.  And  if  the  Lord  has  lodged  you  in 
his  paradise,  if  he  has  given  you  grace,  as  to  Euodias  and  Syn- 
tyche,  to  serve  him  in  the  gospel  and  fight  for  his  glory,  pre- 
serve your  crowns  with  all  diligence  against  the  snares  and 
schemes  of  the  crafty  serpent.  Follow  the  first  and  not  the 
last  actions  of  these  two  women.  Imitate  their  excellence,  and 
take  warning  by  their  weakness. 

But  while  the  example  of  Euodias  and  Syntyche  may  be 
useful  to  women,  that  of  Paul  may  be  profitable  to  pastors  ; 
who  should  consider  with  what  kindness  this  great  apostle, 
not  satisfied  with  exhorting  and  instructing  the  church  gener- 
ally, addresses  himself  particularly  to  persons  who  had  need 
of  his  reproof.  He  testifies  of  himself  in  like  manner  in  the 
church  of  the  Ephesians,  saying  that  during  three  years  he  had 
ceased  not  to  warn  every  one,  Acts  xx.  31.  And  it  is  worthy 
of  remark,  that  he  did  this  not  only  when  present  and  by 
word  ;  here,  as  you  see,  he  breaks  the  thread  of  his  discourse 
in  this  Epistle,  addressed  to  the  entire  body  of  the  church  at 
Philippi,  to  warn  more  particularly  two  persons,  and  those 
women,  because  in  the  Lord  there  is  no  difference  of  sex.  The 
safety  of  a  soul,  to  whomsoever  it  may  belong,  ought  to  be 
very  precious  in  our  sight.  And  from  this  passage  you  may 
perceive  how  erroneous  is  the  opinion  of  those  who  maintain 
that  only  men,  or  indeed  only  privileged  men,  should  read 
the  Epistles  of  Paul.  Certainly  the  apostle's  intention  is  very 
different.  For  in  several  parts  of  his  writings  he  speaks  gen- 
erally to  women,  setting  forth  the  especial  duties  of  their  sex 
and  condition,  and  here,  as  you  have  heard,  he  mentions  two 
more  particularly  by  name.  Why,  for  what  purpose,  if  he  did 
not  intend  them  to  read  his  letter  ?  And  if  believing  women 
were  then  capable  of  reading  his  divine  writings,  why  not  at 
'52 


410  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXV. 

present  ?  Are  the  holy  books  more  obscure  and  difficult  now  ? 
or  are  the  minds  of  christians  more  gross  and  darkened  than 
they  were  the»  ?  Dear  brethren,  this  cannot  be  :  the  heavenly 
word  must  always  preserve  its  original  purity  and  clearness  ; 
and  the  instruction  and  edification  of  believers  must  be  the 
same  in  every  age.  It  is  the  interest  of  the  church  of  Rome 
to  snatch  Paul  from  the  hands  of  the  people,  because  she  well 
knows  the  abuses  which  she  has  invented  and  established  will 
not  be  found  in  the  scriptures.  Follow  up,  then,  christian 
souls,  of  whatsoever  condition  you  may  be,  the  intentions  of 
the  holy  apostle.  Make  no  scruple  of  opening  the  letters 
which  he  has  addressed  to  you,  and  in  which  he  speaks  to 
you.  Read  diligently  and  attentively  what  he  has  written, 
without  fear  of  meeting  with  any  thing  useless  or  bad.  You 
will  find  there  holy  and  salutary  truths,  the  doctrines  of  heaven, 
alone  capable  of  leading  you  to  God  and  eternal  life. 

But  observe  again  here  with  what  gentleness  this  great 
apostle  warns  the  two  women  of  their  duty:  "I  beseech  Euo- 
dias,  and  I  beseech  Syntyche,  that  they  be  of  the  same  mind." 
Oh,  wonderful  and  truly  apostolical  goodness  !  How  far  beneath 
this  model  is  the  pride  of  many  who  boast  of  having  succeeded 
this  great  apostle,  and  yet  think  it  too  great  condescension  to 
speak,  not  merely  to  simple  women  as  these  were,  but  even  to 
queens  and  princesses  !  Paul  does  not  merely  speak  to  them, 
but  he  entreats  them,  and  softens  his  remonstrance  by  the  most 
excessive  kindness  and  humility. 

Lastly,  we  must  not  forget  that  the  apostle  expressly  desires 
that  our  perseverance  and  our  union  should  be  "  in  the  Lord." 
This  is  the  band,  the  centre  of  true  concord.  It  is  but  to 
divide  and  cause  schism  if  we  are  united  out  of  him.  I  ac- 
knowledge that  uniformity  of  sentiment  is  a  beautiful  thing, 
and  worthy  to  be  desired  ;  but  always  with  the  proviso,  that 
Jesus  is  the  foundation  thereof.  To  agree  without  this  .foun- 
dation is  a  conspiracy  rather  than  a  real  union  ;  and  if  we 
could  have  no  peace  with  the  rest  of  the  world,  except  by 
being  deprived  of  Jesus,  it  would  be  a  thousand  times  better 
to  wage  an  eternal  warfare  with  the  universe  itself  than  to  lose 
this  precious  and  salutary  communion.  And  these,  dear 
brethren,  are  the  remarks  that  the  second  part  of  my  text  has 
elicited. 

III.  The  apostle,  however,  not  satisfied  with  having  exhorted 
the  two  Philippian  women  to  union,  further  recommends  them 
to  the  charity  and  cafe  of  another  person,  whom  he  prays  to 
render  them  all  sorts  of  kind  offices,  thus  addressing  him: 
'!  And  I  entreat  thee  also,  true  yoke-fellow,  help  those  women 
which  laboured  with  me  in  the  gospel,  with  Clement  also,  and 
with  other  my  fellow  labourers,  whose  names  are  in  the  book 
of  life."     The  wording  of  this  passage  is  extraordinary,  and  it 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  411 

is  difficult  to  say  with  precision  who  the  person  addressed  thus 
by  Paul  could  be,  whose  assistance  he  requests  in  behalf 
of  Euodias  and  Syntyche.  And  what  augments  this  difficulty 
greatly  is,  that  the  ancient  Greek  scholars  say  that  many  un- 
derstood the  words  as  addressed  to  a  woman,  translating  them 
"  true  yoke-fellow  ;"*  and  considered  that  Paul  was  married, 
and  that  his  wife  having  stopped  for  a  time  in  this  city  of 
Philippi  in  Macedonia,  he  recommends  her  to  take  especial 
pains  with  these  women,  in  order  to  bring  them  back  to  the 
communion  of  the  church.  In  fact,  a  very  learned  and  ancient 
Greek  author,  Clement  of  Alexandria,  who  lived  about  two 
hundred  years  after  the  birth  of  our  Saviour,  thus  understands 
the  passage,  as  we  learn  from  Eusebius,f  who  flourished  more 
than  twelve  centuries  ago  ;  and  as  we  may  ourselves  read  in 
the  works  of  Clement,;}:  which  are  still  extant.  And  this 
opinion  has  been  followed  by  many  authors  of  our  own  com- 
munion, as  well  as  by  several  learned  and  esteemed  cardinals§ 
of  the  Romish  church.  Now  this  supposes  two  doubtful 
things  :  (to  me,  I  confess,  very  doubtful  :)  the  first,  that  Paul 
was  married  when  he  wrote  this  Epistle  ;  the  second,  that  his 
wife  dwelt  or  sojourned  in  the  city  of  Philippi.  With  regard 
to  the  first  supposition,  which  is  the  most  important,  it  is  very 
difficult  to  reconcile  it  with  the  apostle's  writing  in  another 
place,  where,  advising  unmarried  persons  to  continue  in  celi- 
bacy, he  adds,  "  It  is  good  for  them  if  they  abide  even  as  I," 
i.  e.,  in  the  same  condition  in  which  I  am.  "  But  (he  continues) 
if  they  cannot  contain,  let  them  marry,"  1  Cor.  vii.  8,  9.  Why 
should  he  speak  thus  if  he  were  married  himself?  True,  two 
ancient  authors  aver  that  Paul  was  married.  One  is  Ignatius,! 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Antioch,  a  man  who  had  seen  the 
apostles  ;  and  I  confess  that  if  it  were  ascertained  that  this 
testimony  was  really  his,  its  weight  would  be  considerable. 
But  those  who  have  studied  the  ancient  authors  without  preju- 
dice, have  acknowledged  that  the  works  which  go  by  his  name 
were  written  above  a  hundred  years  after  his  death.  The  other 
is  Clement  of  Alexandria,  of  whom  we  have  spoken  above. 
But  it  is  worthy  of  observation,  that  he  has  not  affirmed  Paul's 
marriage  upon  the  valuable  and  certain  testimony  of  any 
writer,  but  gathers  it  solely  from  a  certain  part  of  Paul's 
Epistles,  i.  e.,  1  Cor.  ix.  5,  "Have  we  not  power  to  lead  about  a 
sister,  a  wife,  as  well  as  other  apostles,  and  as  the  brethren  of 
the  Lord,  and  Cephas  ?"  For  Clement  reasons  that  he  would 
not  have  spoken  in  this  manner  unless  he  had  had  a  wife,  al- 
though he  did  not  lead  her  about  like  the  rest  of  the  apostles. 


*  "  Ma  vraie  compagne;1"  and  in  fact  the  original  words  are  capable  of  bear- 
ing this  signification, 
f  Hist.  Eccles.  1.  3,  c.  30.    %  Strom.  1.  3,  p.  4486.    \  Cajetan.    ||  Ep.  46. 


412  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXV. 

This  argument,  however,  is  extremely  weak  ;  for  though  Paul 
were  not  married,  he  might  with  perfect  propriety  have  used 
this  language,  maintaining  that  he  had  a  right  to  marry,  and 
take  his  wife  with  him  to  the  various  churches  he  had  planted, 
as  well  as  other  apostles.  Thus  you  see  that  the  word  of  these 
two  authors  is  scarcely  enough  to  convince  us  that  Paul  was 
married.  I  must,  however,  beg  you  to  remark,  before  I  pro- 
ceed, that  although  we  do  not  consider  this  testimony  valuable 
and  worthy  of  credit,  still  the  very  fact  that  these  writers  were 
of  the  opinion  that  Paul  was  married,  proves  most  decisively 
that  in  their  time,  that  is,  nearly  two  hundred  years  after  Christ, 
the  ministers  of  the  New  Testament  were  not  constrained  to  a 
life  of  celibacy,  as  is  now  the  case  in  the  church  of  Rome. 
And  as  these  authors  believed  of  Paul,  so  also  both  they  and 
all  the  ancient  fathers  held  that  Peter,  Philip,  and  other  of  the 
apostles,  were  married  men  ;  an  evident  token  that  at  that  time 
the  church  retained  the  apostolic  maxim,  "  Marriage  is  honour- 
able in  all,  and  the  bed  unde filed,"  without  excluding  persons 
of  any  condition  whatever  from  this  holy  institution  of  the 
Lord. 

But,  to  return  to  my  subject,  supposing  that  Paul  was  mar- 
ried, still  it  is  no  wise  evident  that  he  had  left  his  wife  in  the 
city  of  Philippi,  to  which  place  he  had  been  only  twice  in  the 
course  of  his  travels,  and  had  each  time  made  but  a  short  stay  ; 
it  is  by  no  means  probable.  I  repeat,  that  he  should  have  left 
his  wife  there,  far  from  her  home  and  country.  Thus  you  will 
easily  perceive  on  how  weak  a  foundation  the  opinion  rests, 
that  the  person  to  whom  these  words  were  addressed  was  a 
woman.  It  is  much  more  probable  to  have  been  a  man,  as  the 
sentence*  is  translated  in  our  Bible.  Some  ancient  authors 
have  supposed  that  the  exhortation  was  addressed  to  the  hus- 
band of  one  of  the  Philippian  women  just  mentioned.  Some 
moderns  again  maintain  that  it  was  to  Epaphroditus  the  bearer 
of  this  very  Epistle  that  the  apostle  makes  this  request,  pray- 
ing him  to  aid  Euodias  and  Syntyche  when  he  should  arrive 
at  Philippi,  and  calling  him  his  companion,  in  the  sense  in 
which  he  had  before  spoken  of  him;  "companion  in  labour 
and  fellow  soldier,"  Phil.  ii.  25.  But  as  it  is  not  customary  to 
address  any  words  in  a  letter  to  the  bearer  thereof,  (for  it  is  to 
be  supposed  that  he  who  sends  it  has  had  sufficient  opportu- 
nity to  communicate  with  and  instruct  the  person  by  whom  it 
is  sent,  without  charging  his  despatches  with  messages  to  bim,) 
it  appears  to  me  that  the  words  are  addressed  to  one  resident 
at  Philippi,  who,  whether  a  minister  or  a  principal  member  of 
the  church,  having  laboured  with  the  apostle  in  the  great  work, 
was  easily  recognized  by  the  title  given  to  him,  "  my  true  yoke- 

*  0  mon  vrai  compagnon. 


CHAP.   IV.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIAtfS.  413 

fellow."  And  this  is  all  we  can  surmise,  his  person  and  qua- 
lities being  entirely  unknown  to  us.  But  it  is  not  necessary 
that  we  should  know  more.  It  is  enough  that  he  was  a  man 
of  some  merit  and  consideration  in  the  church  ;  which  appears 
from  the  appellation  "true  yoke-fellow,"  with  which  the  apostle 
honours  him,  and  from  the  commission  with  which  he  charges 
him,  i.  e.,  to  labour  for  the  edification  of  Euodias  and  Syntyche. 
"  Help  them,"  says  he,  that  is  to  say,  hold  their  hand  with  me, 
and  endeavour  to  draw  them  from  the  snare  which  entangles 
them.  Conjure  them  to  think  of  their  duty,  and  consider  the 
prayer  which  I  have  written  to  them.  We  ought  to  be  always 
ready  to  assist  in  this  way  believers  who  have  fallen,  or  are  on 
the  point  of  falling,  into  error.  And  in  this  respect  we  should 
make  a  distinction  among  those  who  wander  from  the  commu- 
nion of  the  church,  and  conduct  ourselves  towards  them  ac- 
cording to  the  difference  of  their  errors.  There  are  those  who 
sin  through  weakness,  and  allow  themselves  to  be  insnared 
innocently,  as  it  were,  or  who  are  surprised  through  pure 
negligence.  Such  were  the  two  Philippian  women,  and  such 
are  they  whom,  the  apostle  would  have  us  assist.  There  are 
others,  who,  through  malice  and  with  unblushing  pride  and  inso- 
lence, fight  against  the  truth,  and  these  are  not  only  seduced 
themselves,  but  they  undertake  to  seduce  others  ;  such  are  they 
whom  the  apostle  calls  "  evil-workers  :"  of  such  he  says,  "  Be- 
ware ;"  and  our  Lord  also,  speaking  of  this  sort  of  person,  says, 
"  Throw  not  your  pearls  before  swine,  nor  give  that  which  is 
holy  to  the  dogs,  lest  they  trample  them  under  their  feet,  and 
turn  again  and  rend  you,"  Matt.  vi.  7. 

But  the  apostle,  in  order  to  excite  the  zeal  of  this  servant 
of  God  to  whom  he  is  speaking,  sets  before  him  the  good  and 
holy  actions  of  the  two  women  whom  he  recommends  to  his 
assistance:  "They  have  (says  he)  laboured  with  me  in  the 
gospel."  You  are  aware  that  he  often  compares  the  employ- 
ment with  which  God  had  honoured  him  to  a  combat,  in  which 
he  had  for  his  antagonists  the  world  and  the  devil,  both  exertino- 
their  utmost  powers  to  render  his  design  abortive,  which  design 
was  to  preach  the  gospel  of  his  Master,  and  establish  churches 
for  him  through  the  whole  earth.  In  this  great  and  glorious 
combat,  the  persons  of  whom  he  speaks  had  assisted  him 
ranging  themselves  on  his  side,  opposing  all  the  efforts  of  the 
common  enemy,  sharing  his  sufferings,  mingling  in  the  conflict, 
and  in  short  doing  their  utmost  for  the  advancement  of  the  gospel. 
This  we  understand  from  the  expression,  "laboured  with  me  in 
the  gospel."  Judge,  then,  whether,  after  such  proofs  of  piety, 
zeal,  and  love,  they  were  not  worthy  of  being  especially  noticed, 
worthy  of  the  pains  the  apostle  takes  to  interest  in  their  behalf 
all  the  holy  and  faithful  servants  of  God  in  the  Philippian  church. 
And  it  is  in  this  sense  I  take  the  addition  the  apostle  makes, 


414  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXV. 

11  with  Clement  also,  and  with  other  my  fellow  labourers,  whose 
names  are  in  the  book  of  life."  I  know  that  these  words  may- 
be conjoined  with  the  preceding,  thus,  "They  have  laboured 
with  me  in  the  gospel,  with  Clement  also,  and  other  my  fellow 
labourers,"  as  though  the  apostle  would  simply  bear  witness 
that  Clement  and  others  had  assisted  him  in  the  establishment 
of  the  gospel  among  the  Philippians.  But  such  an  idea  seems 
out  of  place  here,  and  I  would  rather  unite  the  sentence  with 
the  first  clause,  thus,  "I  beseech  thee  also,  true  yoke-fellow,  with 
Clement  and  other  my  fellow  labourers,  to  help  those  women." 
In  this  sense  he  solicits  Clement  and  the  other  servants  of  God 
at  Philippi  to  unite  together  in  order  to  restore  Euodias  and 
Syntyche  to  the  bosom  of  the  church.  His  addition,  "  whose 
names  are  in  the  book  of  life,"  is  intended  as  an  excuse  for  not 
inserting  them  here;  their  names  (says  he)  are  written  in  a 
much  more  excellent  book  than  this  Epistle  of  mine.  This 
"  book  of  life,"  of  which  he  speaks,  is  the  register  of  the  king- 
dom of  heaven,  wherein  are  enrolled  the  names  of  all  the  elect. 
The  Lord  mentions  it  in  the  Apocalypse,  promising  to  him 
that  should  overcome  "  not  to  blot  his  name  out  of  the  book 
of  life,"  Rev.  iii.  5.  And  again,  "  The  book  of  life  shall  be 
opened,"  Rev.  xx.  12.  The  same  register  is  intended  by  Daniel, 
when  he  declares,  "  Thy  people  shall  be  delivered,  every  one 
that  is  found  written  in  the  book,"  Dan.  xii.  1  ;  and  by  our 
Lord,  when  he  told  his  disciples,  "  Rejoice,  because  your  names 
are  written  in  heaven,"  Luke  x.  20.  It  appears  also  that  this 
is  what  Ezekiel  calls  "the  writing  of  the  house  of  Israel," 
Ezek.  xiii.  9.  For  the  scripture,  employing  frequently  things 
of  earth  in  order  to  represent  to  our  minds  the  things  of 
heaven,  compares  the  list  of  the  people  of  God,  whom  he  has 
chosen  from  eternity,  and  marked  as  his  elect,  to  a  register,  in 
which  the  names  of  all  the  citizens  of  a  town  are  enrolled.  I 
confess  that  to  us  this  book  is  shut  up  and  sealed.  God  knoweth 
them  that  are  his,  but  will  not  manifest  them  fully  until  that 
day  when  the  books  shall  be  opened  and  the  sheep  separated 
from  the  goats.  But  meanwhile  we  may  judge,  although  with 
modesty  and  charity,  by  the  actions  of  men,  and  hold  as  the 
elect  of  God,  as  citizens  of  the  new  Jerusalem,  truly  enrolled 
in  its  registers,  those  who  display  in  their  lives  the  marks  of 
divine  adoption,  such  as  faith,  obedience,  love,  holiness,  perse- 
verance, and  other  graces.  And  therefore  the  apostle  scruples 
not  to  say,  that  the  "  names"  of  the  Philippians  in  whose  con- 
duct and  conversation  he  had  observed  these  holy  qualities 
were  written  in  the  "  book  of  life." 

Such,  then,  is  the  exposition  of  all  that  Paul  teaches  in  our 
text,  both  to  the  Philippian  church  in  general,  and  to  some 
members  of  it  in  particular.  Be  content,  brethren,  that  we 
hold  towards  you  the  same  language.     For  although  we  may 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO    THE    PHILIPPIANS.  415 

be  infinitely  below  this  great  apostle,  yet  do  we  preach  among 
you,  though  with  much  weakness,  the  same  gospel  that  he 
taught  in  the  church  at  Philippi.  And  God  knows  we  can  say 
of  you  with  truth,  that  you  are  our  "  dearly  beloved  and  longed 
for,"  and  that  from  you  alone  we  desire  to  derive  our  crown  of 
rejoicing.  Let  Satan  calumniate  us,  let  false  teachers  declaim 
against  us,  let  the  world  trample  us  under  its  feet  as  the  scum 
of  the  earth,  we  shall  be  content  and  happy  if  you  persevere 
to  the  end  in  the  grace  and  communion  of  the  Lord  our  Saviour. 
We  shall  never  want  a  subject  of  joy  and  satisfaction,  so  long 
as  piety  abounds  among  you.  If  then  you  consider  you  owe 
us  anything  in  return  for  this  affection  that  we  have  for  you, 
and  for  the  feeble  efforts  that  it  produces  in  the  course  of  our 
ministry  in  order  to  your  greater  edification,  dear  brethren, 
give  us  the  consolation  that  we  ask  ;  crown  our  troubles  and 
anxieties  with  the  sweet  success  that  we  desire.  Let  your  de- 
votion, your  holiness,  your  zeal  furnish  us  continually  with 
matter  for  rejoicing  and  glorifying  God.  Let  your  progress 
keep  pace  with  our  diligence  ;  let  your  manners  grace  our  doc- 
trine; let  the  holiness  of  your  lives  be  the  crown  of  our 
preaching.  0  beautiful  and  glorious  crown  !  May  God  of 
his  grace  bestow  it  upon  us.  Neither  you  nor  we  could  pos- 
sibly wish  for  a  better  thing.  For  what  on  earth  is  there  more 
beautiful  and  admirable  than  a  docile,  obedient  flock,  covered 
with  evangelic  wool,  that  is  to  say,  full  of  love  and  holiness  ? 
And  who  is  happier  than  the  pastor  who  conducts  them  ?  And 
what  can  heaven  itself  present  more  grand  and  magnificent 
than  (at  the  last  day  in  the  sight  of  men  and  angels)  the  pastor 
presenting  them  before  the  Lord,  saying,  in  the  words  of  the 
prophet,  "  Behold  I,  and  the  children  whom  thou  hast  given 
me?"  I  conjure  you,  then,  beloved  brethren,  by  the  delights 
of  this  heavenly  glory  which  we  hope  to  enjoy,  "  stand  fast  in 
the  Lord."  Let  nothing  interfere  with  this  resolve.  I  know 
that  the  snares  of  error,  and  the  efforts  of  the  world,  are  many 
and  great,  in  order  to  detach  you  from  the  truth,  and  corrupt 
your  morals.  But  if  the  truth  be  spoken,  our  enemies  have 
more  fury  than  power,  because  Jesus  strengthens  his  people, 
and  makes  his  strength  perfect  in  their  weakness.  Love 
and  serve  him  alone,  and  leave  events  to  him  in  perfect  assu- 
rance. And  if  there  be  among  you  an  Euodias  and  a  Syntyche, 
weak  minds  which  have  not  vigour  to  resist  the  bold  attacks, 
or  the  deceits  of  seduction,  remember  them,  and  endeavour 
to  keep  them  in  the  right  way.  Love  them,  and  give  them 
your  assistance  in  the  day  of  need  both  by  your  words  and 
your  example.  Labour  with  the  apostle  for  the  gospel  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  Join  then  your  hands  to  his,  and  partake  now 
of  his  cross,  if  you  wish  hereafter  to  share  his  crown.  And 
let  none  excuse  himself  here.     Let  none  allege  his  sex  or  con- 


416  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVI. 

dition  as  exempting  him  from  work.  The  combat  is  a  general 
one  ;  no  one  can  be  dispensed  with.  The  example  of  these 
holy  and  devoted  female  warriors,  whose  valour  the  apostle 
has  praised,  even  calling  them  the  companions  of  his  labours  ; 
this  example  teaches  you,  O  christian  women,  that  you  are  ca- 
pable of  serving  in  this  war  for  the  advancement  of  the  gospel. 
For  faith,  love,  zeal,  devotion,  the  weapons  of  the  warfare,  are 
well  suited  to  your  sex.  And  in  Jesus  Christ  there  is  neither 
bond  nor  free,  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  neither  male  nor  female. 
Being  all  one  in  him,  let  us  fight  with  one  heart,  so  that,  en- 
rolled with  the  apostle  and  his  blessed  companions  in  his  book 
of  life,  we  may  have  part  in  that  eternal  glory  which  God  has 
prepared  for  them  whose  names  are  written  therein.     Amen. 


SERMON  XXVI. 

VERSES  4 — 7. 


Rejoice  in  the  Lord  ahvays  :  and  again  I  say,  Rejoice.  Let  your 
moderation  he  known  unto  all  men.  The  Lord  is  at  hand.  Be 
careful  for  nothing  ;  but  in  everything  by  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion  with  thanksgiving  let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto 
God.  And  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding, 
shall  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus. 

Dear  brethren,  the  dolorous  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the 
glorious  memorial  of  which  we  celebrate  this  day,  is  the  true 
and  only  source  of  that  spiritual  joy  and  peace  which  the  minds 
of  believers  possess.  Without  it  we  should  be  still  engaged 
in  a  melancholy  and  hopeless  war  against  God,  the  world,  and 
ourselves,  and  we  should  see  nothing  in  heaven,  or  in  earth,  or 
in  our  own  consciences,  that  was  not  our  enemy.  Without  it  we 
should  still  be  languishing  in  the  bondage  of  sin  and  Satan,  in 
the  horrors  of  death,  and  in  eternal  mourning  and  woe.  But 
by  the  blood  of  the  cross  Jesus  has  appeased  the  wrath  of  God 
towards  us,  and  has  rendered  him  propitious  and  favourable  to 
us.  He  has  established  an  eternal  alliance  for  us  with  the 
angels  and  all  other  holy  intelligences.  He  has  conquered  the 
law.  He  has  wounded  Satan,  and  put  his  armies  under  our 
feet.  He  has  crucified  sin,  extinguished  hell,  abolished  death  ; 
and  with  the  love  of  the  Father  he  has  obtained  for  us  divine 
knowledge,  a  complete  justification,  an  assured  sanctification, 
a  blessed  immortality  ;  so  that  if  deliverance  from  so  many 
evils,  and  the  possession  of  so  many  good  things,  has  spread 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  417 

joy  and  peace  in  our  hearts,  it  is  evident  that  to  the  death  of 
Jesus  alone  we  are  debtors. 

Seeing  then  that  the  apostle,  in  the  words  you  have  just 
heard,  and  which  occur  in  the  ordinary  subject  of  my  dis- 
course, recommends  to  us  this  holy  joy,  and  promises  us  the 
inestimable  peace  of  God,  I  consider  that  the  subject  is  par- 
ticularly suitable  to  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  supper  ;  and 
that,  while  solemnizing  the  memory  of  the  death  of  Christ,  it 
will  not  be  out  of  place  to  speak  to  you  of  its  principal  effects, 
and  of  the  sweetest  and  most  desirable  fruits  which  it  produces. 
The  apostle  in  the  text,  as  you  perceive,  commands  us  three 
things,  and  promises  one.  His  first  command  is  to  "  rejoice 
in  the  Lord  ;"  secondly,  to  be  moderate  and  temperate  in  our 
manner  of  life  ;  and  finally,  to  cast  all  our  care  upon  the  good- 
ness and  providence  of  God,  declaring,  all  our  wishes  before 
him  in  prayer,  accompanied  with  thanksgiving.  And,  con- 
ducting ourselves  in  this  manner,  he  promises  us  in  the  last 
verse  that  the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding, 
shall  keep  our  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus. 

These,  dear  brethren,  please  God,  shall  form  the  four  subjects 
to  be  treated  of  in  this  discourse. 

I.  The  joy  of  the  christian. 

II.  His  moderation  and  temperance. 

III.  His  holy  and  assured  safety.     And, 

IY.  His  divine  peace.  The  four  principal  sources  of  the 
happiness  he  enjoys  in  this  world,  while  awaiting  the  glory 
and  blessedness  that  are  prepared  for  him  in  another.  Believ- 
ing souls,  bring  to  this  sacred  subject  minds  deeply  conscious 
of  its  sublimity  and  excellence. 

I.  With  regard  to  the  first  of  these  subjects,  the  apostle  ex- 
presses himself  in  these  terms,  "  Eejoice  in  the  Lord  always  : 
and  again  I  say,  Eejoice."  Joy  is  the  fruit  that  we  gather  from 
the  presence  of  something  we  have  desired,  and  its  motions  are 
so  sweet  and  familiar  to  our  nature,  that  there  is  no  one,  how- 
ever melancholy  and  unhappy  he  may  be,  who  has  not  occa- 
sionally experienced  them  ;  so  that  it  would  be  a  useless  work 
to  attempt  to  explain  the  meaning  of  that  of  which  none  can 
be  wholly  ignorant.  We  shall  find  more  difficulty  in  proving 
that  to  rejoice  is  the  christian's  duty,  (as  the  apostle's  command 
clearly  presupposes,)  and  in  describing  this  joy  in  such  a  man- 
ner, as  that  all  true  believers  shall  be  capable  of  experiencing 
it.  For  it  appears  as  if  Christ  had  banished  cheerfulness  from 
the  breasts  of  his  disciples  by  saying,  "  Woe  unto  you  that 
laugh  now!  for  ye  shall  mourn  and  weep;"  and,  on  the  con- 
trary, "  Blessed  are  ye  that  weep  now  ;  for  ye  shall  laugh," 
Luke  vi.  25,  21.  The  answer  to  this,  however,  is  easy.  Our 
Lord  speaks  thus  of  worldly  joy  and  sorrow,  which  arise  solely 
from  the  prosperity  or  adversity  of  the  flesh  ;  of  the  laugh  of 
53 


418  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXVI. 

the  wicked,  and  of  the  pleasure  which  they  take  in  persecuting 
the  righteous,  and  in  other  vicious  ways,  a  joy  truly  cursed  and 
unhappy,  which  shall  be  quickly  followed  in  the  next  world 
by  eternal  tears  and  anguish  :  while,  on  the  other  hand,  by 
those  who  weep  our  Lord  intends  believers,  who  suffer  perse- 
cution for  righteousness'  sake,  and  whose  condition  outward- 
ly seems  to  demand  pity.  For  the  tears  of  such  shall  be  assu- 
redly wiped  away,  and  quickly  changed  to  laughter  and  joy. 
And  in  fact  in  the  same  place  the  Lord  commands  them  to 
"  rejoice  and  leap  for  joy"  in  the  day  of  persecution,  in  hope 
of  the  rich  reward  laid  up  for  them  in  heaven,  Luke  vi.  23. 
Or  even  if  we  understand  these  words  to  relate  to  those  who 
weep  for  sin,  as  some  commentators  do,  still  it  must  be  said 
that  such  tears  are  by  no  means  contrary  to  the  joy  of  which 
the  apostle  speaks.  However  plenteously  they  may  flow,  the 
tears  of  true  repentance  will  always  terminate  in  joy.  We 
must  also  distinguish  the  believing  penitent  from  him  who  has 
received  remission  of  sins  in  Jesus  Christ,  him  who  seeks  from 
him  who  finds.  For  that  every  believer  who  embraces  the  Sa- 
viour with  true  and  lively  faith,  may  and  ought  to  rejoice,  we 
learn  both  from  the  apostle,  who  commands  us  in  this  and 
other  places  so  to  do,  and  also  from  Peter  and  the  rest  of  the 
sacred  writers.  Peter,  in  the  1st  chapter  of  his  First  General 
Epistle,  ver.  8,  declares,  "  Though  now  ye  see  him  (Christ)  not, 
yet  believing,  ye  rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory."  The  psalmist  had  also  long  before  enjoined  the  same 
thing  :  "  Serve  the  Lord  with  fear,  and  rejoice  with  trembling," 
Psal.  ii.  11  ;  and  again,  he  says  the  Lord  had  put  "joy"  in  his 
heart,  more  abundant  than  the  children  of  this  world  possess 
in  their  greatest  prosperity,  Psal.  iv.  8.  Matthew,  in  like  man- 
ner, represents  to  us  the  joy  of  the  blessed  man  in  the  parable, 
who  had  found  the  treasure  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  chap, 
xiii.  44;  and  Paul,  in  Eom.  xiv.  17,  declares  that  "the  king- 
dom of  God  is  righteousness,  and  peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

Thus  you  see  that  to  rejoice  is  evidently  a  christian's  duty. 
But  the  apostle  does  not  merely  say  "rejoice,"  but  "rejoice  in 
the  Lord  ;"  and  this  partly  to  refine  and  regulate  our  joy, 
partly  to  show  the  source  from  whence  it  springs.  For  this 
word  renders  our  joy  distinct  from  that  of  the  world,  which, 
springing  from  earthly  things,  is  vain,  uncertain,  and  even 
mingled  with  disquietude  and  trouble,  whereas  ours,  springing 
from  the  Saviour,  is  pure,  spiritual,  and  holy.  Far,  far  from 
hence,  ye  profane  ones,  who  know  no  joy  but  that  of  the  flesh, 
and  experience  no  pleasure  save  in  the  gratification  of  your 
sinful  lusts  and  desires.  Such  a  one.  was  the  rich  man  of  the 
gospel  parable,  Luke  xii.  19,  who,  in  the  fulness  of  his  imagi- 
nary felicity,  said  to  his  soul,  "  Soul,  thou  hast  much  goods  laid 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  419 

up  for  many  years  ;  take  thine  ease,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry." 
Such  again  were  those  epicureans  who,  deriving  their  joy 
from  that  which  might  rather  have  been  their  sorrow,  took  the 
brutal  resolution  of  which  the  apostle  speaks,  1  Cor.  xv.  32, 
"  Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  to-morrow  we  die."  Miserable  peo- 
ple, who  drown  the  knowledge  of  evil  in  gluttony  and  sin.  I 
would  place  in  the  same  class  the  joys  of  the  avaricious,  the 
ambitious,  and  all  other  slaves  of  sin  ;  and  even  the  joys  which 
human  science,  temporal  prosperity,  eloquence,  credit,  the  love 
and  favour  of  men,  and  such  things,  give  to  those  who  possess 
them.  For  although  it  may  be  said  that  such  joys  are  not 
criminal,  yet  are  they  vain,  puerile,  and  unworthy  of  a  chris- 
tian mind  ;  for  if  the  Lord  desired  his  disciples  not  to  rejoice 
because  the  spirits  were  subject  to  them,  Luke  x.  20,  though 
this  was  one  of  the  greatest  gifts  he  had  bestowed,  how  much 
less  would  he  approve  our  rejoicing  in  these  worldly  things  ! 
And  first,  real  believers  but  seldom  partake  of  them,  God  call- 
ing to  the  faith,  "  not  many  wise,  not  many  noble,"  not  many 
great  men  according  to  the  flesh,  and  often  obliging  those  of 
them  whom  he  does  call  to  divest  themselves  of  such  advanta- 
ges at  the  first  entrance  into  his  house  ;  so  that  in  these,  how- 
ever legitimate  may  be  the  joy  of  their  possessors,  it  is  evident 
the  christian  has  little  or  no  part.  But  again,  I  say,  that  even 
were  we  abundantly  supplied  with  worldly  things,  though  we 
should  have  the  treasures,  the  delights,  the  glories  of  Solomon 
himself,  yet  should  we  have  no  reason  to  rejoice  therein.  That 
prince  who  had  made  the  essay  acknowledges,  and  loudly  pro- 
claims, that  all  was  vanity,  and  there  are  few  persons  so  cor- 
rupt as  not  to  see  that  such  factitious  benefits  could  never 
render  either  body  or  soul  happy,  could  never  guaranty  the 
one  or  the  other  from  ills  and  sorrows,  or  from  the  distraction 
of  human  passions  ;  neither  could  they  ever  secure  a  man  from 
the  caprices  of  fortune,  (as  the  world  says,)  nor  from  the  inevi- 
table stroke  of  death.  Whence  it  follows,  that  to  rejoice  in 
them  would  be  as  vain  and  trifling  as  the  child  taking  delight 
in  her  doll,  or  Jonah  congratulating  himself  upon  the  shadow 
of  the  gourd,  which  came  up  in  a  night,  and  perished  in  a 
n  ight. 

Beware,  then,  believers,  of  choosing  such  things  for  the 
source  of  your  joys.  The  apostle  says,  "  Rejoice  in  the  Lord," 
that  is,  in  Jesus  Christ,  whom  the  scripture,  especially  in  the 
New  Testament,  commonly  calls  by  thjs  appellation,  which  is 
indeed  his  due,  since  he  has  redeemed  us,  and  since  he  is  the 
Master  and  sovereign  Prince  of  the  universe.  Christian,  he  is 
the  living  and  inexhaustible  spring,  the  abundant  and  legiti- 
mate subject  of  your  joy.  For  if  you  possess  this  divine  Saviour, 
and  are  acquainted  with  the  fulness  of  his  benefits,  what  is 
there  in  this  world  that  could  add  to  your  happiness?     This 


420  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.   XXVI. 

sovereign  Lord  is  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the 
express  image  of  his  person  ;  his  word  and  wisdom,  his  love  and 
delight,  the  depository  of  his  eternity,  the  treasury  of  his  grace, 
in  whom  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily.  This 
blessed  Saviour  is  our  light  and  our  life  ;  our  salvation  and  fe- 
licity ;  our  knowledge,  our  justification,  our  sanctification,  and 
our  redemption.  This  is  our  true  Sun,  bringing  healing  in  his 
wings,  and  whose  rays  spread  health  and  happiness  wherever  they 
shine.  No  sooner  do  we  look  at  him  than  we  are  enlightened. 
He  is  the  propitiatory  sacrifice  which  covers  us  from  the  wrath  of 
God,  and  blots  our  sins  from  his  book  ;  the  tree  of  life,  the 
heavenly  manna,  giving  immortality  to  our  souls.  He  is  our 
David,  the  glorious  Prince  who  has  defeated  all  our  enemies  ; 
our  Solomon,  who  has  established  for  us  a  permanent,  inviola- 
ble peace.  He  has  delivered  us  from  the  ignorance  in  which 
we  were  plunged,  and  revealed  to  us  the  mysteries  of  God;  he 
has  expiated  the  sins  under  which  our  consciences  groaned, 
and  has  given  them  perfect  peace  ;  he  has  snatched  us  from  the 
tomb,  (or  we  should  rather  say,  from  hell,)  and  opened  to  us 
the  gates  of  heaven  ;  and  instead  of  this  frail  and  miserable  ex- 
istence that  we  derive  from  the  first  Adam,  he  has  prepared  for 
us  another,  full  of  glory  and  happiness,  incorruptible  and  di- 
vine ;  slaves  of  Satan  he  has  made  children  of  God,  worms  of 
the  earth  he  has  made  citizens  of  heaven  ;  he  has  received  us  into 
the  community  of  angels,  has  sealed  us  with  his  Spirit,  and 
made  us  the  first-fruits  of  his  creatures.  There  is  no  dignity 
to  which  he  has  not  advanced  us,  ordaining  us  for  ever  kings, 
priests,  and  prophets.  And,  O  surpassing  wonder!  besides  all 
this,  he  vouchsafes  to  call  us  his  brethren  and  co-heirs,  mem- 
bers of  his  body,  of  his  flesh,  and  of  his  bones. 

How  dull  and  insensible  must  that  soul  be,  which  can  think 
of  such  gifts  and  benefits  of  the  divine  Saviour,  without  being, 
I  will  not  say  touched,  but  overwhelmed  with  joy  !  For  if  the 
discovery  of  any  wonderful  and  sublime  truth  communicates 
joy  to  the  mind,  (as  it  naturally  does,)  and  even  as  we  read, 
that  wise  men  of  this  world  have  been  delighted  when  they 
have  discovered  secrets  unknown  to  others  in  human  science, 
what  should  be  our  happiness  to  see  in  Jesus  these  treasures 
of  wisdom  which  the  Father  has  revealed  and  exposed  to  our 
view  !  mysteries  of  which  not  only  the  philosophers  and  kings 
of  this  world,  but  even  the  kings  and  prophets  of  Israel,  nay, 
the  very  angels  of  heaven,  were  ignorant  until  the  fulness  of 
time  was  come.  What  should  be  our  joy  to  see  the  counsels 
of  God  revealed  in  this  divine  Lord!  to  see  clearly  in  him  the 
reasons  of  such  a  dispensation,  the  justness  and  goodness  of  God 
in  union!  to  see  thus  God  manifest  in  the  flesh,  heaven  embra- 
cing earth,  and  earth  as  it  were  kissing  heaven!  If  deliverance 
from  some  great  and  mortal  peril  would  rejoice  our  souls,  how 


CHAP.   IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  421 

much  more  should  we  rejoice  to  behold  ourselves,  by  the 
mercy  of  this  sovereign  and  blessed  Saviour,  liberated  from  the 
prison  of  the  Almighty,  redeemed  from  slavery  and  eternal 
death  !  If  the  favour  of  a  great  prince  pleases  us,  what  satisfac- 
tion should  the  love  and  favour  of  the  King  of  ages,  the  Mon- 
arch of  eternity,  give  us  !  If  life  is  sweet  to  us,  if  liberty  plea- 
ses, if  honours,  riches,  dignities  charm  us,  what  then  should  be 
the  joy  of  our  hearts  to  possess  in  Jesus  immortality  and  sov- 
ereign glory  !  to  possess  in  him  a  heavenly  kingdom,  treasures 
that  the  lapse  of  ages  cannot  destroy,  and  crowns  which  can 
neither  fade  nor  tarnish!  If  the  society  of  well-informed  per- 
sons, if  their  conversation  sometimes  softens  the  ills  of  life, 
what  should  be  our  consolation  to  have  the  Son  of  God  always 
with  us,  nay,  dwelling  within  our  hearts!  to  have  his  Spirit 
in  our  souls,  his  word  in  our  ears,  his  prophets  and  apostles 
with  us  !  And  besides  all  these  blessings,  capable  of  bringing 
joy  into  the  most  desolate  and  unhappy  mind,  where  is  the 
man  who  would  not  be  touched  with  the  deepest  gratitude  for 
the  manner  in  which  the  Saviour  has  imparted  them  to  us  ? 
who  would  not  be  overwhelmed  with  joy  when  he  considers 
that  the  great  God  became  a  man,  that  we  might  be  partakers 
of  his  divine  nature  ;  that  he  descended  to  our  earth,  that  we 
might  be  raised  up  to  his  heaven  ;  that  he  bore  the  curse  of 
the  cross,  in  order  to  crown  us  with  blessing  and  glory  ?  I 
should  certainly  imagine  that  the  remembrance  of  this  won- 
derful and  incomprehensible  mystery  of  the  love  of  God  never 
enters  the  mind  of  the  angels,  but  they  are  filled  with  the 
sweetest  and  most  delightful  sensations  of  which  they  are 
capable. 

Rejoice,  then,  believing  souls,  in  your  divine  Redeemer. 
Drown  every  care  in  these  sweet  reflections:  let  this  rich  and 
beautiful  object  be  before  your  eyes  night  and  day.  In  this 
case  you  will  never  want  a  subject  of  rejoicing.  For  you  per- 
ceive the  apostle  commands  you  to  be  always  joyful  :  "  Rejoice 
in  the  Lord  always ;"  and,  as  if  he  were  immediately  in  a 
transport  of  joy  himself,  he  adds,  "  and  again  I  say,  Rejoice  !" 
Listen  not  to  the  flesh,  which  now  whispers  in  your  ear  that 
this  may  be  very  well  for  the  day  of  prosperity:  but  that  in 
the  season  of  affliction,  when  bending  beneath  the  cross,  when 
sickness  weakens,  when  losses  afflict,  or  when  persecution 
presses  hard,  it  would  be  out  of  season  then  to  say,  "  Rejoice." 
The  flesh,  brethren,  comprehends  not  this  mystery;  it  sur- 
passes its  sense  and  understanding.  The  joy  of  the  Lord  is 
unlike  that  of  the  world,  which  the  vapours  of  the  earth  ex- 
tinguish, which  is  easily  overturned  by  the  casualties  of  life  ; 
the  joy  of  Christ  is  eternal;  it  maintains  itself  against  every- 
thing; nothing  can  extinguish  it;  it  lives  even  in  the  furnace 
of  affliction,  and  triumphs  over  death  itself.     Persecution  and 


422  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVI. 

sorrow  rather  increase  than  diminish  it.     These  Philippians 
to  whom  the  apostle  wrote  were  certainly  not  in  worldly  pros- 
perity ;  they  were  suffering  for  Jesus'  sake  ;  they  saw  their 
master  in  prison  ;  they  were  themselves  a  prey  to  divers  ene- 
mies ;  and  yet  Paul  commands  them  to  rejoice,  and  sets  them 
the  example  by  rejoicing  even  in  the  bonds  in  which  Nero  held 
him.     So   we  read  (Acts  v.  41)  that  the  other  apostles,  when 
scourged  by  the  Jews,  "  rejoiced  that  they  were  counted  worthy 
to  suffer  for  his  name."     And  how  many  martyrs  has  the 
world  witnessed  who  joyfully  endured  the  rack  and  the  flames 
in  the  same  sacred  cause!  all  the  cruelty  of  their  executioners 
being  unable  to  diminish  the  peace  of  their  souls.     Say  not 
this  was  very  well  for  apostles  and  martyrs,  for  Jesus  is  the 
same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever.     The  source  from  which 
the  saints  drew  their  joy  is  open  now  as  formerly.     It  is  the 
vileness  of  our  hearts,  the  weakness  of  our  faith,  which  hinder 
us  from  deriving  the  same  consolations  and  the  same  joys 
which  those  blessed  persons  once  possessed.     We  have  in  him 
the  same  blessings  as  they  ;  the  same  spirit,  the  same  hope, 
the  same  glory.     And  were  it  in  our  power  to  divest  ourselves 
of  our  natural  prejudices,  we  should  see  that  all  these  trials 
and  afflictions  that  we  lament  are  so  little  compared  to  our 
possessions  in  Jesus,  that  they  ought  not  even  to  disturb  our 
joy,  much  less  to  extinguish  it.     You  weep  perhaps  because 
God  has  not  given  you  such  and  such  blessings,  or  because  he 
has  taken  away  some  which  you  formerly  had.     Another  la- 
ments the  loss  of  riches,  of  children,  parents,  or  friends.     One 
recounts  his  maladies,  another  the  persecutions  he  endures 
from  the  hatred  or  envy  of  men,  and  all  tremble  at  death,  a 
certain  evil.     I  will  not  deny  that  these  are  severe  trials,  nei- 
ther will  I  undertake  to  blame  the  sighs  and  tears  which  are 
drawn  from  those  who  suffer  them  :  human  nature  is  unable 
to  divest  itself  of  this  tenderness  altogether  ;  but  I  must  say 
that  they  will  not  prevent  the  true  believer  from  rejoicing  ;  he 
can  and  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  deriving  consolation  under 
every   sorrow,  from  the  remembrance  of  so  rich  a  treasure. 
Eemember,  O  christian  !  though  God  has  not  given  you  the 
good  things  of  this  life,  he  has  given  you  heaven,  which  is 
infinitely  better  than  earth  ;  though  here  you  may  be  unhon- 
oured,  he  has  prepared  for  you  an  eternal  crown  ;  though  you 
possess  not  the  favour  of  men,  you  have  the  favour  of  God  ; 
though  he  has  taken  your  children  or  other  ties  in  this  life,  he 
has  given  you  abundant  joy  in  his  Son  Jesus,  the  Prince  of 
life.     Remember  that  the  trials  you  endure  are  salutary,  the 
persecutions  honourable,  and  death  itself  is  necessary  ;   yet 
none  of  these  things  shall  ever  snatch  you  from  the  protection 
of  Jesus,  the  source  of  all  joy,  for  whom  to  live  or  die  is  gain. 
Fear  not  that  he  will  ever  leave  you  ;  he  dwells  in  your  heart. 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  423 

and  will  accompany  you  through  life  and  death.  He  will 
sweeten  every  bitter  trial.  He  will  share  in  your  griefs.  He 
will  seal  the  waters  under  your  feet,  change  flames  into  balmy 
dew,  convert  rocks  into  sources  of  springing  waters,  and  de- 
serts into  gardens  of  delight.  He  will  never  tempt  you  be- 
yond what  you  are  able  to  bear,  but  will  manifest  his  strength 
in  your  weakness,  turn  evil  into  good,  darkness  into  light,  and 
death  into  a  sweet  passage  into  that  eternal  life  which  he  has 
purchased  for  you.  Rejoice  then  always  in  him,  in  whatsoever 
state  you  may  be  ;  in  prosperity  or  adversity,  in  health  or 
sickness,  in  life  or  in  death  itself;  and  again  I  say  unto  you, 
Rejoice  in  him. 

II.  But  after  this  holy  joy  which  the  apostle  recommends, 
let  us  observe  what  that  moderation  may  be  of  which  he 
speaks  in  the  following  verse  :  "  Let  your  moderation  be 
known  unto  all  men."  The  word  here  employed  signifies  fre- 
quently in  the  original  equity,  or  moderation,  in  any  transaction 
with  our  neighbour,  that  without  austerity,  but  with  sweetness 
and  urbanity,  we  should  accommodate  ourselves  to  their  de- 
portment, and  rather  yield  our  own  just  right  than  give  occa- 
sion to  any  to  complain  of  our  severity.  But  as  this  seems  to 
strain  the  meaning  in  the  present  sentence,  it  appears  better 
to  understand  the  word  as  it  is  translated  in  the  French  Bible, 
la  debonnaireté,  clieerfulness  ;  that  is  to  say,  a  certain  sweetness 
of  temper,  which  takes  all  things  in  good  part,  which  is  not 
easily  offended,  which  is  not  in  continual  trouble  because  of 
afflictions  and  casualties,  but  retains  a  uniform  calmness  in 
every  condition.  And  this  virtue  is  necessary  in  every  way. 
For  if  you  consider  the  thing  itself,  is  it  not  reasonable  that 
man,  who  of  himself  is  but  a  poor  weak  creature,  guilty  in  a 
thousand  ways,  and  subject  to  the  wrath  of  God,  should  have 
feelings  so  humble  and  submissive  as  not  to  be  surprised  and 
grieved  at  the  wrongs  and  disgraces  that  he  may  suffer,  as 
though  they  were  something  unworthy  of  him?  And  with 
respect  to  the  utility  of  this  virtue,  there  is  not  one  in  the 
catalogue  of  virtues  so  necessary  in  the  society  of  men 
For  that  fierce  and  lofty  courage,  which  can  tolerate  no  offence 
does  infinite  evil,  as  well  to  him  who  possesses  it  as  to  others 
and  is  the  cause  of  half  the  trouble  and  misfortune  which  hap 
pen  to  mankind.  It  is  from  this  evil  temper  that  law  pro 
cesses,  quarrels,  and  wars,  that  so  frequently  afflict  states  and 
families,  mostly  proceed  ;  so  that  if  every  man  had  the  mode- 
ration and  cheerfulness  which  the  apostle  recommends,  the 
world  would  live  in  peace.  But  if  it  be  good  for  other  men. 
it  is  absolutely  necessary  for  believers,  who  are  more  exposed 
to  injuries  and  insults  than  all  the  world  besides.  And  cer- 
tainly, if  they  know  the  grace  that  God  has  given  them  in  Je- 
sus Christ,  and  if  they  rejoice  therein,  considering  the  true  and 


424  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXVI. 

solid  happiness  which,  is  their  portion,  they  will  not  find  it 
difficult  to  bear  with  temperance,  moderation,  and  even  cold- 
ness, the  sufferings  they  may  meet  with  in  the  world,  the  most 
important  being  nothing  at  all  in  comparison  with  that  secret 
source  of  happiness  which  they  possess  in  their  heart.  There- 
fore the  apostle  desires  that  our  moderation  should  be  known 
unto  all  men  ;  not  merely  to  believers,  but  also  to  strangers, 
and  in  fact  to  all  with  whom  we  have  intercourse;  and  this, 
not  for  the  sake  of  our  reputation,  in  order  to  its  establishment 
among  men  ;  that  is  a  vanity  which  our  Master  forbids,  and 
which  would  be  indeed  unworthy  of  our  high  and  holy  profes- 
sion. But  he  desires  simply  that  all  our  neighbours,  whoever 
they  may  be,  should  be  obliged  to  acknowledge  our  cheerful- 
ness and  moderation,  and  that  none  should  have  occasion  to 
say  that  we  belied  our  name  of  christian,  or  were  far  from  the 
temperance  and  gentleness  which  the  school  of  Christ  demand- 
ed. For  although  we  are  not  called  to  seek  the  judgment  of 
men,  we  must  not  fly  from  it  ;  but,  as  often  as  opportunity 
may  offer,  we  should  give  them  proofs  of  our  piety,  by  causing 
our  light  to  shine  before  men,  so  that,  seeing  our  good  works, 
they  may  glorify  our  Father  which  is  in  heaven. 

And  that  which  the  apostle  adds,  "  the  Lord  is  at  hand,"  is 
here  extremely  apropos.  For  the  wickedness  of  men  i3  so 
great,  that  the  milder  and  more  temperate  we  are,  so  much  the 
more  insolent  and  turbulent  are  they,  taking  occasion  from  our 
forbearance  to  conduct  themselves  the  more  outrageously. 
Fearing  that  this  consideration  might  deter  us  from  the  exer- 
cise of  that  moderation  which  he  commands,  he  sets  before  us 
the  providence  of  God,  who  is  at  hand  to  govern  and  restrain 
the  enemy,  to  succour  in  extremity,  and  to  defend  us  from  the 
violence  and  injustice  of  the  wicked  ;  so  that  we  have  no  need 
to  suppose  that  we  shall  be,  from  our  moderation,  more  ex- 
posed in  reality  to  the  .blows  and  audacity  of  our  enemies. 
But,  however,  it  appears  to  me  more  proper  to  connect  this 
sentence  with  the  next  verse,  to  which  it  evidently  has  refer- 
ence :  "  The  Lord  is  at  hand,  be  careful  for  nothing." 

III.  And  this  is  the  third  point  which  the  apostle  recom- 
mends in  order  to  preserve  christian  joy  in  our  minds  ;  for 
nothing  disturbs  that  so  much  as  the  vain  and  useless  care  that 
we  bestow  on  the  things  of  earth,  as  the  success  of  our  plans,  la- 
bours, &c.  And  because  the  source  of  this  disquietude  is  in  igno- 
rance of  the  providence  of  God,  he  declares  "  the  Lord  is  at 
hand."  This  may  have  respect  either  to  time  or  place:  To 
time — then  the  Lord  will  soon  come  to  judge  the  world,  and 
that  great  and  terrible  judgment  in  which  all  men  shall  be 
confronted  together  is  not  far  distant.  To  place — then  the 
Lord  is  not  far  from  every  one  of  us;  he  is  the  witness  and 
the  arbiter  of  all  human  affairs,  observing  all  things  that  occur 


CHAP.   IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  425 

in  order  to  assist  us  in  our  need,  repressing  the  excess  and 
punishing  the  wickedness  of  our  enemies. 

The  first  consideration  (with  regard  to  time)  ought  to  calm 
our  impatience,  and  moderate  the  pain  we  give  ourselves  ;  for 
neither  the  prosperity  of  the  wicked,  nor  the  adversity  of  the 
faithful,  would  trouble  us  greatly,  if  we  had  continually  in  our 
minds  the  horrible  sufferings  which  are  prepared  for  the  first, 
and  the  infinite  consolation  which  awaits  the  second,  each  re- 
ceiving his  sentence  from  the  mighty  Judge,  whose  day  nothing 
can  retard.  Nevertheless  as  the  prophet,  in  the  145th  Psalm, 
from  whence  the  apostle  seems  to  take  this  sentence,  evidently 
speaks  of  the  continual  presence  of  God,  saying,  "  The  Lord 
is  nigh  unto  all  that  call  upon  him,"  and  as  this  consideration 
has  a  more  exalted  view,  I  prefer  interpreting  it  rather  with 
regard  to  place.  For  since  this  lovely  and  blessed  Saviour  is 
near  to  us,  at  our  right  hand,  as  the  psalmist  sings,  surround- 
ing us  on  all  sides,  so  that  we  cannot  turn  our  eyes  without 
beholding  him,  knowing  our  necessities  better  than  we  our- 
selves can  know  them,  and  having  both  the  will  and  the  power 
to  provide  for  them,  what  can  occasion  us  anxiety,  and  why, 
men  of  little  faith  as  we  are,  need  we  be  worn  with  chagrin 
and  useless  care?  The  Lord  himself  speaks  against  this  dis- 
trust and  disquietude  at  some  length  in  the  6th  chapter  of 
Matthew,  and  in  the  12th  of  Luke,  and  gives  several  motives 
to  rally  our  faith  and  courage  :  among  others,  the  care  which 
God  takes  of  the  smallest  animals,  and  of  the  minutest  herbs 
of  the  field,  and  the  uselessness  of  every  endeavour  to  add  one 
cubit  to  the  stature;  and  he  finishes  his  discourse  by  this  ex- 
cellent sentence,  "  Seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness,  and  all  other  things  shall  be  added  unto  you." 
His  apostle  Peter  likewise  exhorts  us  to  "  cast  all  our  care  upon 
God,  for  he  careth  for  us,"  1  Pet.  v.  7.  But  besides  things  ne- 
cessary for  our  food  and  clothing,  Paul  in  this  place  compre- 
hends all  those  which  the  church  in  general,  and  each  individ- 
ual in  particular,  may  require  for  safety  or  rest;  the  danger 
in  which  we  perceive  ourselves  to  be  often  causing  us  much 
groundless  anxiety  and  care.  "  Be  careful  for  nothing  ;"  re- 
pose entirely  upon  the  providence  of  God. 

Yet  let  not  careless  ones  abuse  this  holy  doctrine.  The 
apostle  forbids  that  care  and  solicitude  which  depresses  the 
mind,  he  forbids  distrust  in  Providence,  impatience,  vain  regret, 
and  useless  efforts  to  ascertain  the  future  ;  but  he  does  not  for- 
bid labour,  or  assiduous  diligence  in  those  duties  which  belong 
to  the  vocation  of  each  individual.  Did  I  say  he  does  not  for- 
bid ?  he  expressly  commands  that  every  one  should  "  eat  his 
own  bread  with  quietness,"  2  Thess.  iii.  12  ;  and,  "  If  any  man 
will  not  work,  neither  let  him  eat,"  Eph.  iv.  28.  And  again,  "  If 
any  provide  not  for  his  own,  and  specially  those  of  his  own 
54 


426  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  XXVI. 

house,  he  hath  denied  the  faith,  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel,"  1 
Tim.  v.  8.  In  this  Epistle  also  (chap.  ii.  20)  he  praises  the  care 
which  Timothy  took  of  the  church  at  Philippi,  and  elsewhere  he 
witnesses  of  himself  that  the  care  of  all  the  churches  "  came 
upon  him  daily,"  2  Cor.  xi.  28.  It  is  not  then  of  labour,  or  of 
the  lawful  cares  of  our  calling,  that  the  apostle  bids  us  beware 
in  this  place,  but  rather  of  distrust  and  anxieties,  and  of  those 
miseries  which  distrust  causes  in  the  human  heart. 

In  order  to  deliver  us  from  it  entirely,  he  recommends  that 
on  all  occasions  when  tempted  to  yield  to  it,  we  should  have 
recourse  to  God  in  prayer,  pouring  out  our  hearts  before  our 
heavenly  Father,  and  consigning  our  sighs  and  cares  to  him  : 
"  In  everything  by  prayer  and  supplication  with  thanksgiving 
let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God."  Among  all  the 
excellencies  of  prayer,  this  is  not  the  least,  that  it  restrains 
the  care  which  oppresses  the  believer.  For  having  unbur- 
dened his  soul  into  the  ear  of  God,  and  poured  forth  his  anx- 
ieties there,  he  lives  in  peace,  trusting  in  his  providence,  and 
awaiting  with  confidence  the  succours  he  requires.  Joined 
to  which  the  prayer  of  faith  never  returns  void,  and  if  it  ob- 
tains not  immediately  the  required  petition,  at  least  it  obtains 
assistance  from  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  strengthens  the  believer, 
and  gives  him  grace  to  possess  his  soul  in  peace.  Thus  the 
psalmist  declares  that  prayer  was  his  solace  in  the  day  of 
adversity.  And  therefore  the  apostle  desires  that,  instead  of 
teasing  our  hearts  with  useless  care,  we  should  have  recourse 
to  God  in  all  things,  and  "  make  known  our  requests  to  him," 
in  other  words,  declare  our  wishes  before  him,  our  desires  and 
necessities,  "  by  prayer  and  supplication,  with  thanksgiving." 
For  I  consider  that  these  words  are  to  be  understood  simply, 
without  seeking  for  a  mystical  meaning.  God  is  our  Almighty 
King  :  as,  then,  subjects  in  their  necessities,  approach  their 
earthly  prince,  and  cause  him  to  know  their  wants  and  desires 
by  presenting  their  requests  before  him,  so  ought  we  to  act  to- 
wards God  by  notifying  our  desires  to  him  :  but  there  is  this  dif- 
ference, that  this  process  is  needful  for  the  princes  of  this  world, 
both  on  their  account  and  ours,  it  not  being  possible  that  they 
should  be  aware  of  our  wishes  unless  we  make  them  known  ; 
whereas  it  is  entirely  for  our  benefit,  and  not  for  God's  instruc- 
tion that  we  are  required  to  conduct  ourselves  in  the  same 
way  before  him  :  for  he  knows  our  desires. before  they  spring 
up  in  our  hearts  ;  and  therefore  for  us  to  pour  them  out  before 
him,  is  not  because  they  are  unknown  to  him,  but  because  he 
has  commanded  us  so  to  do,  and  it  has  therefore  become  our 
duty  and  privilege. 

The  apostle,  however,  not  only  recommends  prayer  and  sup- 
plication, but  also  "  thanksgiving,"  even  for  whatever  may  oc- 
cur to  us  ;  and  this  should  guard  us  from  the  error  of  those 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  427 

who  pray  with  lamentations,  murmurs,  and  reproaches,  as 
though  God  had  no  right  to  give  them  trouble  ;  or,  at  least,  as 
though  he  could  not  leave  them  in  it  long  without  injustice 
or  unnecessary  harshness.  The  true  believer,  on  the  contrary, 
seasons  every  request  with  gratitude,  and  commences  and  ends  his 
prayer  with  thanksgiving,  asking  nothing  of  the  Majesty  of 
heaven  as  a  right,  but  as  a  favour,  submitting  himself  humbly 
to  his  will,  and  acknowledging  that  whatever  may  be  ordered 
for  him,  glory,  honour,  and  praise  are  due  to  God. 

IV.  After  these  commands,  the  apostle  adds,  in  the  fourth 
and  last  place,  a  very  sweet  promise,  "And  the  peace  of  God, 
which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall  keep  your  hearts  and 
minds  through  Christ  Jesus."  The  word  "  and"  at  the  begin- 
ning of  this  sentence  shows  that  this  "  peace"  depends  upon 
the  previous  question  :  "  Let  your  moderation  be  known  unto  all 
men.  Be  careful  for  nothing  ;  but  in  everything  by  prayer  and 
supplication  with  thanksgiving  let  your  requests  be  made  known 
unto  God.  And  the  peace  of  God,"  &c.  ;  that  is  to  say,  if  these 
duties  be  diligently  performed,  the  peace  of  God  shall  guard 
you  from  every  evil.  This  peace  of  God  does  not  signify  the 
peace  which  God  possesses  in  himself,  but  that  which  he  has 
given  us  in  his  Son  ;  the  fruit  of  justification  by  faith,  that 
sweet  and  holy  calm  produced  by  the  grace  of  Jesus  Christ 
upon  the  conscience,  delivering  it  from  the  burden  under 
which  it  laboured,  and  showing  God  reconciled  to  us,  and 
looking  upon  us  as  his  children,  with  a  kind  and  propitious 
countenance.  Paul  says  that  this  peace  "  passeth  all  under- 
standing;" first,  because  there  is  no  understanding  which,  be- 
fore having  experienced  it,  can  possibly  conceive  what  it  is, 
or  form  an  idea  of  its  true  and  real  essence.  And,  secondly, 
because  the  minds  even  of  those  who  do  possess  it  can  never 
entirely  explain  or  comprehend  it.  It  is  a  divine  and  heavenly 
thing,  full  of  secret  sweets  and  concealed  marvels,  that  the  hu- 
man understanding  knows  not  how  to  imagine  it  distinctly  ; 
and  whatever  efforts  the  mind  may  make,  it  must  yield  at  last, 
seeing,  after  all  its  thoughts,  some  new  wonders  remaining  in 
this  delightful  subject,  which,  having  exhausted  the  powers  of 
his  intellect,  constrains  him  at  last  to  admire  what  he  is  un- 
able perfectly  to  understand.  It  is  with  a  similar  meaning 
the  apostle  says  elsewhere  that  "the  love  of  Christ  passeth 
knowledge,"  Eph.  iii.  19  ;  and  Peter  tells  us  that  our  joy  in 
Christ  is  "  glorious  and  unspeakable,"  1  Pet.  i.  8.  In  fact,  if 
you  consider  the  causes  of  this  peace,  where  is  the  mind, 
whether  human  or  angelic,  that  could  sufficiently  comprehend 
the  wonders  of  the  death  of  the  Son  of  God,  which  procured 
it  for  us  ;  the  inexhaustible  love  of  the  Father  in  the  gift  of 
his  Son,  the  only  source  of  happiness  or  peace  to  men  ?  If 
you  examine  its  form  and  essence,  what  understanding  can 


428  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVI. 

enough  admire  the  fact  of  sinners  being  at  peace  with  Al- 
mighty justice,  that  they  should  meet  his  all-piercing  eye,  and 
live  secure  in  him,  not  merely  delivered  from  his  vengeance, 
but  even  expecting  his  greatest  favours  ?  If  you  consider  its 
effects,  who  shall  know  how  to  describe,  or  even  depict  to  his 
own  mind,  the  sweetness  which  this  peace  sheds  over  the  hearts 
of  faithful  christians,  the  joy,  the  happiness  which  it  estab- 
lishes there  ;  converting  them  into  a  paradise,  and  causing  to 
flourish  therein,  in  this  world,  the  glory  which  belongs  to  an- 
other ;  maintaining  there  hope  in  despair,  strength  in  weak- 
ness, abundance  in  dearth,  victory  in  defeat,  triumph  in  doubt, 
even  life  in  death  itself?  But  it  is  in  vain  that  I  attempt  to 
represent  it  to  you,  since  it  passes  all  understanding.  Make 
the  essay,  believers  ;  learn  by  experience  what  we  cannot  ex- 
press in  words,  or  conceive  in  thoughts. 

And  observe,  that,  besides  what  we  have  just  seen,  it  also 
has  the  efficacy  which  the  apostle  attributes  to  it  here,  "  shall 
keep  your  hearts  and  minds  by  Jesus  Christ."  When  once 
we  have  the  happiness  to  be  in  communion  with  Jesus  Christ, 
many  enemies  rise  up  who  endeavour  to  separate  us  from  him. 
The  devil,  the  world,  and  the  flesh  never  cease  to  solicit  us, 
representing  to  our  minds  the  affliction  of  the  cross,  and  the 
repose  and  prosperity  of  the  world.  But  the  same  Spirit  who 
first  gave  us  to  Jesus  will  preserve  us  in  him,  being  the  author 
of  our  perseverance,  as  well  as  of  our  first  entrance  into  alli- 
ance with  him.  And  as  he  is  infinitely  wise,  he  does  not  re- 
tain us  in  this  happy  communion  against  our  will  ;  but  work- 
ing with  us  in  a  manner  suited  to  our  nature,  he  so  draws  our 
minds  that  they  continue  firm  in  their  constant  desire  to  em- 
brace the  Saviour.  The  principal  means  which  he  employs  to 
this. end  is  the  peace  of  God  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts,  which, 
is,  as  it  were,  the  seal  by  which  we  are  sealed  unto  the  day  of 
redemption.  For  recognizing,  by  the  experience  of  this  inef- 
fable peace,  the  divinity  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  truth  of  his 
gospel,  and  the  happiness  of  those  who  belong  to  him,  we  re- 
pulse all  the  efforts  of  the  tempter,  and  prefer  the  grace  of 
God  to  all  the  advantages  of  the  flesh.  This  peace  so  strength- 
ens our  hearts,  that  they  despise  all  the  promises  of  the  world  ; 
it  shuts  our  ears  to  its  seductions,  and  our  eyes  to  its  illusions, 
and  so  wins  our  minds  by  the  power  of  its  divine  sweetness, 
that  we  are  ready  to  answer  those  who  endeavour  to  detach  us 
from  the  Lord,  in  the  words  of  Peter,  To  whom  else  should  we 
go  ?  he  has  the  words  of  eternal  life,  and  we  believe  and  are 
sure  that  he  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the  living  God.  Such  is 
the  meaning  of  the  apostle  when  he  says  that  "the  peace  of 
God  shall  keep  our  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus." 

Consider,  believers,  the  excellence  and  the  price  of  this  peace  ; 
it  is  our  chief  happiness  on  earth,  the  consolation  of  our  hearts, 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  429 

the  guardian  of  our  souls,  the  defence  of  our  understandings, 
the  assurance  of  our  salvation  ;  it  is  the  one  thing  needful. 
"We  can  pass  by  all  other  blessings,  and  be  happy  without 
possessing  those  things  which  other  men  desire  ;  but  we  can 
neither  enter  into,  nor  continue  in  the  enjoyment  of,  true  fe- 
licity, without  this  peace  of  God.  For  of  what  avail  would 
be  the  esteem  of  the  great,  the  glory  of  the  world,  the  amassing 
of  riches,  the  knowledge  of  science,  the  pleasures  of  life,  and, 
in  short,  everything  agreeable  and  desirable  in  this  world, 
if  we  are  at  enmity  with  God?  What  asylum,  what  place 
of  refuge,  could  we  find  from  his  arms?  O  ye  miserable 
ones,  who  quit  his  service  for  the  good  things  of  this  world, 
where  i3  your  understanding?  Do  you  not  know  that  without 
the  peace  of  God  you  must  be  in  eternal  misery  ?  There  is  in 
the  world  neither  force  nor  cunning  sufficient  to  shield  3rou 
from  his  anger  ;  the  arrows  of  his  wrath  will  find  you  wher- 
ever you  may  be  concealed,  they  will  pierce  through  every  de- 
fence, and  will  sink  into  your  heart,  and  suck  the  life  from 
your  soul,  even  in  the  midst  of  your  pleasures  and  your  tri- 
umphs. His  image  will  everywhere  pursue  you,  and  fill  your 
miserable  consciences  with  fear  and  horror,  without  allowing 
you  an  hour's  repose  ;  and  after  a  life  of  remorse  and  secret 
torment  he  will  punish  your  sin  with  eternal  misery  in  hell. 

But,  believers,  these  unhappy  ones  never  had  the  peace  of 
God  in  their  hearts  ;  if  they  had  had  it,  it  would  have  kept 
their  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus.  As  for  us,  then, 
who  know  its  value,  let  us  ask  it  night  and  day  from  God. 
Let  all  the  world  be  our  enemies,  provided  we  are  at  peace 
with  him.  But  it  is  certain  that  nothing  can  be  our  enemy  if 
we  are  at  peace  with  God.  He  is  the  Almighty  Lord  of  the 
universe.  All  creatures  obey  his  laws  and  his  motions,  of 
good  will  or  bad  will  ;  and  if  we  have  peace  with  God,  we  have 
it  necessarily  with  the  heavens  and  with  the  earth,  with  men 
and  with  beasts,  with  the  elements,  with  the  sword,  with  famine, 
with  nakedness,  with  death  and  the  grave.  Nothing  can  by 
any  means  hurt  us  ;  all  things  must  work  together  for  our 
good  ;  the  most  deadly  poison  shall  become  wholesome  to  us  ; 
the  sovereign  power  and  wisdom  of  the  Almighty  changing  by 
admirable  means  the  very  nature  of  things  in  favour  of  those 
who  are  in  covenant  with  him. 

O  merciful  Lord,  give  us  then  this  blessed  peace  ;  shed  it 
abroad  in  our  hearts,  and  make  it  so  to  dwell  within  us  that 
we  may  experience  much  of  its  sweetness.  Take  away  from 
us  what  thou  wilt,  but  take  not  away  thy  peace.  As  thou  hast 
obtained  it  for  us  by  the  bloody  sacrifice  of  the  cross,  O  com- 
municate it  to  us  by  the  operation  of  thy  Spirit,  our  only  Com- 
forter, by  the  power  of  thy  holy  word,  and  by  the  receiving  of 
this  holy  sacrament  to  which  thou  hast  invited  us.     Feed  our 


•±30  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVII. 

souls  with  thy  flesh,  water  them  with  thy  blood  ;  so  may  the 
Almighty  spare  and  deal  with  us  as  with  men  in  covenant 
with  him.  And  may  this  blessed  peace  so  faithfully  guard  our 
hearts  and  minds,  that  we  may  remain  always  in  thee  by  faith 
and  love,  and  thou  always  in  us  by  thy  Spirit  and  grace. 
Amen. 


SERMON  XXVII. 

VERSES   8,   9. 


Finally,  brethren,  whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever  things  are 
honest,  ivhatsoever  things  are  just,  ivhatsoever  things  are  pure, 
whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  whatsoever  things  are  of  good  re- 
port ;  if  there  be  any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any  praise,  think  on 
these  things.  Those  things,  which  ye  have  both  learned,  and  re- 
ceived,, and  heard,  and  seen  in  me,  do:  and  the  God  of  peace 
shall  be  with  you. 

Brethren,  the  sanctification  of  men  is  the  true  object  of 
our  redemption  by  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  apostle  teaches  us  when 
he  says  that  the  Lord  Jesus  "  gave  himself  for  our  sins,  that  he 
might  deliver  us  from  this  present  evil  world,  according  to  the 
will  of  God  and  our  Father,"  Gal.  i.  4;  that  is  to  say,  as  he 
himself  explains  more  clearly  in  another  place,  "  that  he  might 
redeem  us  from  all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar 
people,  zealous  of  good  works,"  Tit.  ii.  14.  This  is  the  great 
end  of  all  that  he  has  done  and  suffered  on  the  earth,  to  the  aston- 
ishment of  angels  and  men.  It  was  for  this  that  he  took  our 
nature,  concealing  the  glory  of  eternal  divinity  under  the  veil 
of  weak  and  mortal  flesh.  It  was  for  this  that  he  was  tempted 
in  all  points  like  as  we  are,  and  sanctified  by  so  many  bitter 
tears.  It  was  for  this  that  he  was  given  over  to  the  cross,  the 
Almighty  Lord  of  the  world  enduring  the  punishment  of 
slaves;  for  this  the  holiest  of  the  holy  was  treated  like  the 
worst  of  malefactors,  the  beloved  and  blessed  of  the  Father 
being  made  a  curse.  And  as 'the  salvation  which  he  purchased 
for  us  is  not  a  common  and  earthly  good,  but  a  divine  and 
heavenly  one  ;  so  the  holiness  to  which  he  moulds  us,  and  by 
which  he  conducts  us  to  heaven,  is  not  a  common  and  natural 
perfection,  such  as  men  of  the  world  may  acquire,  and  which 
they  honour  with  the  glorious  appellation  of  virtue  ;  but  it  is 
a  holiness  singular  and  exquisite,  supernatural  and  angelic. 

And  therefore  it  is  that  the  Lord,  in  that  divine  discourse 


CHAP.   IV.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  431 

upon  the  mount,  wherein  he  explains  the  rules  and  regulations 
of  holiness,  declares  to  his  disciples  that,  "  unless  their  right- 
eousness exceeded  that  of  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,"  (that  is, 
of  the  famous  masters  of  the  purest  school  in  the  world,)  "they 
could  not  see  the  kingdom  of  God."  The  design,  then,  of  the 
christian  religion  being  so  excellent  and  so  lofty,  we  cannot  be 
surprised  that  the  apostles  treated  of  it  with  so  much  diligence 
and  assiduity  ;  and  that  this  holiness  is  the  great  object  of  their 
writings,  as  it  was  the  end  of  all  the  deeds  and  sufferings  of 
their  Master.  Paul  has  commenced  this  Epistle  to  the  Philip- 
pians  by  praying  God  that  "they  might  be  filled  with  the 
fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are  by  Jesus  Christ,"  Phil.  i.  11  ; 
and  recommending  them  to  have  their  conversation  as  it  be- 
came the  gospel  of  Christ.  He  had  scattered  throughout  the 
whole  body  of  the  Epistle  various  other  excellent  exhortations 
to  holiness,  especially  in  this  and  the  preceding  chapter.  Be- 
hold him  now  again  finishing  as  he  had  begun,  and  giving  to 
his  dear  disciples  this  last  precept,  which  we  have  just  read,  to 
be,  as  it  were,  the  seal  and  mark  of  his  Epistle  :  "  Finally, 
brethren,  (says  he,)  whatsoever  things  are  true,  whatsoever 
things  are  honest,  whatsoever  things  are  just,  whatsoever  things 
are  pure,  whatsoever  things  are  lovely,  whatsoever  things  are 
of  good  report  ;  if  there  be  any  virtue,  and  if  there  be  any 
praise,  think  on  these  things.  Those  things,  which  ye  have 
both  learned,  and  received,  and  heard,  and  seen  in  me,  do  ;  and 
the  God  of  peace  shall  be  with  you."  In  order  to  give  you  a 
complete  exposition  of  this  text,  we  will  consider  three  things, 
one  after  another,  by  the  grace  and  assistance  of  God.  The 
first  subject  shall  be  concerning  those  things  which  the  apostle 
recommends  to  the  Philippians  to  study  and  practise.  The 
second,  concerning  the  example  which  he  had  given  them  in 
his  own  person,  and  of  which  he  reminds  them  in  this  place, 
to  encourage  them  in  their  duty.  And  the  third,  concerning 
the  promise  which  he  gives  them,  that  the  God  of  peace  should 
be  with  them. 

I.  With  regard  to  the  first  point,  this  word  "  finally,"  with 
which  Paul  commences  his  discourse,  bears  relation  to  the  pre- 
ceding texts,  both  of  the  third  chapter  and  of  this  one,  in 
which  he  had  explained  the  fundamentals  of  the  christian  life  ; 
namely  the  faith  and  service  of  Jesus  Christ,  union  and  har- 
mony among  believers,  and  perseverance  in  piety.  When  af- 
terwards, therefore,  he  adds,  "Finally,  whatsoever  things  are 
true,  &o.,  think  on  these  things,"  it  is  as  though  he  said,  So  far 
I  have  described  to  you  the  very  substance  and  body  of  Chris- 
tianity ;  for  the  remainder,  employ  all  the  time  you  can  in  the 
study  of  it,  and  in  the  exercise  of  good  and  praiseworthy  ac- 
tions. And  herein  the  apostle  silently  opposes  his  doctrine  to 
that  of  the  false  teachers,  and  of  all  those  who  endeavoured  to 


432  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVII. 

judaize  the  church.  For  these  people,  after  receiving  the  gos- 
pel faith,  desired  their  disciples  to  occupy  themselves  in  the 
practice  of  ordinances  and  legal  ceremonies,  and  to  trim  (if  I 
may  be  allowed  the  expression)  the  robe  of  Jesus  with  the  frin- 
ges of  Moses.  This  passion  of  desiring  the  externals  of  devo- 
tion is  natural  to  all  men,  for  such  exercises  in  religion  are 
much  more  easy  and  agreeable  than  the  study  of  real  virtue  ; 
and  this  may  be  proved  by  referring  to  all  religions,  ancient 
and  modern.  But  the  apostle,  instead  of  such  weak,  vain,  and 
useless  ceremonies,  desires  christians  to  occupy  themselves  in 
the  constant  practice  of  honesty,  justice,  and  all  other  virtues 
which  a  man  can  exercise  towards  his  neighbour.  This  was 
to  be  the  ornament,  as  it  were,  the  outward  mark  of  their  faith. 
So  the  holiest,  the  best,  the  most  honest  man,  would  be  con- 
sidered the  most  religious,  according  to  the  doctrine  also  of 
James,  who  defines  pure  religion  thus  :  "  To  visit  the  fatherless 
and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and  to  keep  himself  unspotted 
from  the  world,"  James  i.  27.  Perhaps  also  the  apostle,  having 
just  declared  all  our  duties,  as  well  toward  God  as  toward  be- 
lievers, adds  this  precept  to  show  us  how  we  ought  to  conduct 
ourselves  before  strangers  ;  as  though  he  had  said,  So  far  I 
have  described  your  life  in  all  that  concerns  the  service  of  God 
and  the  love  of  your  brethren  ;  as  to  the  rest,  which  concerns 
them  that  are  without,  let  your  manners  and  conversation  be 
marked  by  honesty  and  goodness. 

If  you  take  the  trouble  to  count  the  things  which  he  recom- 
mends to  us,  you  will  find  eight  articles  :  first,  "  things  true  ;" 
second,  "things  venerable"  (margin);  third,  "things  just;" 
fourth,  "pure;"  fifth,  "lovely;"  sixth,  such  as  are  "  of  good 
report  ;"  seventh,  "  if  there  be  any  virtue  ;"  eighth,  and  last, 
"  if  there  be  any  praise."  Truly  all  this  is  so  clear,  there  is 
little  need  of  explanation.  Ah,  would  to  God  it  were  as  easy 
to  practise  as  to  understand  !  Yet,  in  order  to  aid  and  strength- 
en you  in  so  necessary  an  object,  we  will  say  a  few  words 
upon  these  eight  things,  in  the  order  in  which  the  apostle  has 
written  them.  He  places  first,  "  things  true."  And  it  is  cer- 
tainly very  proper  that  above  and  before  all  things  we  should 
embrace  the  truth,  because  we  are  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  is  the  truth  itself.  Here  then  should  be  the  base,  the 
foundation  of  our  conduct  ;  we  must  receive  the  truth  as  a 
daughter  of  Heaven  ;  as  the  first  and  principal  mark  of  our 
profession,  and  truth  should  be  the  seal  of  our  thoughts,  words, 
and  actions.  Some  would  restrain  this  word  to  the  truths 
which  pagans  even  and  other  enemies  of  our  religion  hold  in 
common  with  ourselves  ;  such  are  the  maxims  respecting  our 
conduct,  the  knowledge  whereof  nature  has  engraved  in  the 
hearts  of  all  mankind  ;  as,  for  example,  that  of  not  doing  to 
another  the  thing  we  do  not  wish  him  to  do  to  us,  and  such 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  433 

like,  of  which  the  apostle  speaks  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans, 
saying  that  "  the  Gentiles  which  have  not  the  law,  do  by  na- 
ture the  things  contained  in  the  law  ;"  and  that  "  that  which 
may  be  known  of  God  is  manifest  in  them,  even  his  eternal 
power  and  Godhead,"  Rom.  ii.  12,  &c. 

But  as  the  apostle  here  expressly  says,  "  whatsoever  things 
are  true,"  it  appears  much  better  to  understand  the  words  in 
their  fullest  extent.  In  this  sense  truth  is  opposed  to  false- 
hood, or  mere  appearance.  For,  first,  we  consider  those  things 
"  true  "  which  are  not  feigned  or  invented  to  please,  but  which 
really  subsist.  And  secondly,  such  as  are  at  the  foundation 
firm  and  solid  ;  not  shadows  and  figures,  which  have  indeed 
the  appearance  of  truth,  but  are  not  in  reality  what  they  seem 
to  be.  Therefore  the  apostle  banishes  from  the  mind  and  con- 
duct of  christians  all  falsehoods,  of  what  kind  soever  they  may 
be.  And  thirdly,  all  vain  and  deceitful  appearances.  He  de- 
sires that  our  manner  of  life  should  be  plain  and  simple,  not 
vain  and  hollow  ;  and  that  we  should  leave  shadows  to  others, 
and  attach  ourselves  entirely  to  reality.  And  in  order  to  con- 
form to  this  precept,  it  is  not  enough  to  purify  your  language 
from  all  falsehood,  equivocation,  and  ambiguity,  and  your  con- 
duct from  every  species  of  hypocrisy  ;  the  heart  must  also  be 
purged  from  the  esteem,  the  love,  and  the  admiration  of  the 
world,  which  is  as  a  shadow  that  passes  away,  as  the  apostle 
teaches  us.  Neither  the  gains  of  avarice,  nor  the  honours  of 
ambition,  nor  the  pleasures  of  vanity,  nor  the  occupations  and 
enjoyments  of  any  vice  whatever,  are  "  true  things  ;"  because 
it  is  clear  they  give  not  the  happiness  they  promise,  and  while 
presenting  a  false  appearance  of  good  they  possess  nothing 
good  in  reality.  No,  we  must  exercise  ourselves  in  those 
things  that  are  "true;"  that  is  to  say,  in  the  purity  and  sin- 
cerity of  a  good  conscience,  and  in  the  fruits  which  that  will 
produce. 

The  apostle,  secondly,  recommends  to  us  all  things  "  vene- 
rable "  (margin)  ;  signifying  by  this  word  all  that  relates  to 
sobriety  and  purity  of  manners,  and  to  the  dignity  of  the  high 
vocation  to  which  God  has  called  us.  In  order  to  practise 
this  virtue  we  must  renounce  all  frivolity,  lightness,  buffoon- 
ery, and  folly,  which  are  quite  at  variance  with  our  holy  pro- 
fession. There  should  be  nothing  in  our  words,  in  our  habits, 
or  in  our  conversation,  that  cannot  correspond  with  the  lofti- 
ness and  holiness  of  that  Jesus  whose  disciples  we  call  our- 
selves ;  in  other  words,  nothing  but  what  is  pure  and  simple  : 
on  all  occasions  the  same  life  should  be  manifested  in  us  ;  no 
adversity,  no  prosperity,  should  depress  or  elevate  us  ;  in  soli- 
tude or  in  company,  we  should  be  equally  simple  and  sincere. 
For  as  the  christian  is  a  child  of  God,  an  heir  of  heaven,  a 
brother  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  a  fellow-citizen  with  the  angels,  the 
55 


434  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVII. 

salt  of  the  earth,  and  the  light  of  the  world,  the  master  and 
teacher  of  all  men,  it  is  clear  that  such  high  qualities  must 
oblige  him  to  maintain  a  holy  and  grave  deportment  ;  and  that 
he  could  not  fall  in  with  the  opposite  vices,  without  betraying 
his  honour  and  scandalously  belying  his  profession. 

"  Things  just,"  which  the  apostle  adds  in  the  third  place,  are 
those  which  we  owe  to  each  other,  whether  by  the  divine  law, 
or  by  the  custom  and  ordinances  of  men.  He  desires  us  to 
consider,  first,  what  God  commands  us  to  render  unto  men  ; 
whether  honour,  or  obedience,  or  deference  to  our  superiors, 
whether  in  the  kingdom  or  the  family  ;  whether  the  guidance, 
care,  and  protection  of  our  inferiors  ;  whether  friendship  and 
assistance  towards  our  equals  ;  whether  charity  and  kindness 
towards  all.  Secondly,  that  we  should  remember  the  laws, 
especially  those  of  the  city  and  society  in  which  we  live,  and 
the  duties  they  require  of  us.  And  lastly,  that  we  should  be 
careful  to  acquit  ourselves  in  all  these  with  the  utmost  fidelity, 
excepting  such  human  laws  as  may  be  contrary  to  the  law  of 
God  and  of  our  consciences  ;  for  with  regard  to  them,  as  they 
cannot  be  considered  just,  so  neither  are  we  bound  by  them. 
But  in  every  other  case  we  must  submit  and  accommodate  our- 
selves to  the  laws  of  the  civil  and  domestic  community  in 
which  we  dwell. 

The  apostle,  in  the  fourth  place,  commands  us  to  think  of 
things  "  pure  ;"  meaning  thereby  to  place  purity  and  chastity 
in  opposition  to  filthiness  and  voluptuousness,  which  are  con- 
trary to  the  mind  of  God.  That  we  should  be  careful  not  only 
to  preserve  our  bodies  free  from  pollution,  but  our  hearts,  our 
tongues,  our  eyes,  even  our  dress,  should  be  holy  and  pure,  our 
deportment  modest,  our  conversation  free  from  every  species  of 
dissoluteness.  But  as  drunkenness  and  gluttony  soil  the  mind 
and  body  of  man,  and  render  it  unfit  for  the  temple  of  Jesus 
Christ,  I  consider  that  the  purity  of  which  the  apostle  speaks 
must  extend  itself  to  sobriety  and  temperance  in  eating  and 
drinking,  if  we  desire  to  preserve  ourselves  in  perfect  consist- 
ency. I  confess  that  this  "  truth,"  this  "  gravity,"  this  "justice," 
this  "  purity,"  which  the  apostle  recommends,  are  most  suitable 
to  the  perfection  of  our  manners  and  life.  Nevertheless,  these 
are  not  all.  He  is  desirous  that  we  should  adorn  these  virtues 
with  a  sweetness  and  urbanity  pleasing  to  them  with  whom  we 
converse,  and  that  if  there  be  things  worthy  of  praise  and 
commendation,  we  should  adorn  ourselves  therewith  as  with 
jewels  of  gold.  And  this  is  what  is  intended  by  the  four 
graces  added  next. 

Fifthly,  "  Think  of  whatsoever  things  are  lovely."  He  does 
not  mean  by  this  that,  in  order  to  obtain  the  good  opinion  of 
men,  we  should  practise  generally  whatever  is  most  pleasing  to 
them.     For  then  we  must  run  with  them  to  their  excess  of 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  435 

riot,  and  wallow  in  their  filthiness,  and  imitate  their  supersti- 
tions and  vices,  because  nothing  gratifies  them  so  much  as  this 
conformity,  and  nothing  vexes  and  annoys  them  so  much  as 
the  horror  that  we  manifest  for  the  things  which  they  esteem 
and  practise  without  scruple  of  conscience.  The  apostle  here 
speaks  only  of  such  things  as  are  not  contrary  to  the  will  of 
God,  while  at  the  same  time  they  are  agreeable  and  pleasing  to 
men.  In  this  class  1  would  place  patience,  cheerfulness,  sweet- 
ness of  temper,  generosity,  and  such-like  virtues.  For  although 
ail  virtues  are  beautiful  and  excellent  in  themselves,  and  de- 
serve the  approbation  and  respect  of  men,  being  all  emanations 
from  God  and  the  fruits  of  his  Spirit,  yet  nevertheless  there 
are  some  more  pleasing  than  others  ;  some  more  gay,  more 
fascinating,  and  universally  known  among  men  ;  even  as  we 
see  among  the  stars,  though  all  are  beautiful,  yet  some  shine 
with  greater  lustre  than  others.  Among  the  virtues,  these 
shine  with  peculiar  brightness,  sweetness  of  mind,  courtesy, 
patience,  clemency,  willingness  to  oblige,  &c,  for  there  are  few 
minds  so  savage  as  not  to  love  goodness.  The  worst  barba- 
rians are  softened  when  they  see  a  man  without  violence,  with- 
out bitterness,  full  of  compassion  towards  the  afflicted,  liberal 
to  the  necessitous,  and  who,  without  constraint  or  any  other 
obligation  than  that  of  humanity,  does  good  to  all  men,  and 
even  to  those  that  have  injured  him.  It  is  impossible  that  a 
man  should  not  love  and  respect  such  excellent  goodness, 
however  little  in  common  he  may  possess  with  it.  To  these 
duties  I  would  add,  secondly,  a  yielding  in  things  which  in 
their  nature  are  indifferent  ;  and  of  this  the  apostle  himself 
gives  us  an  excellent  example,  and  one  well  worthy  of  imita- 
tion ;  for  that  holy  man,  renouncing  his  own  liberty,  became  a 
servant  to  all  in  order  to  win  them  to  his  Master.  To  the  Jew 
he  became  as  a  Jew,  to  those  who  were  under  the  law,  as  being 
himself  under  the  law,  to  the  weak  he  became  as  weak,  all 
things  to  all  men,  bending  and  submitting  to  the  humours  of 
his  neighbours,  and  transforming  himself,  as  it  were,  into 
them,  as  much  as  the  laws  of.  piety  would  permit  him,  in 
order  by  these  means  to  obtain  their  favour  and  affection,  as 
he  himself  explains  to  us  in  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Co- 
rinthians. 

What  he  says,  sixthly,  that  we  should  also  think  of  such 
things  as  are  of  "  good  report,"  relates  to  the  same  end,  and 
must  be  understood  in  the  same  manner  ;  for  among  actions 
which  are  all  good  and  excellent,  there  are  some  which  are 
more  especially  in  repute  among  men.  Paul  desires  us  to 
give  ourselves  to  them  with  especial  care,  because  those  who 
hold  them  in  high  esteem  will  love  us  better  ;  and  seeing  us 
constant,  ardent,  and  zealous  in  the  practice  of  them,  will  by 
these  means  be  constrained  to  acknowledge  that  it  is  not  malice 


436  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXVII. 

or  hatred,  but  belief  and  sound  judgment,  which,  induce  us  to 
abhor  their  superstitions  ;  and  this  disposition  of  mind  is  use- 
ful to  persuade  them  of  the  truth  of  our  religious  opinions. 

And  further,  as  among  things  in  their  nature  indifferent 
some  are  much  esteemed,  either  by  all  men  generally,  or  by 
particular  nations  or  societies  ;  so,  on  the  contrary,  some  are 
held  in  disrepute,  as  severity,  rigour,  penuriousness,  avarice, 
and  the  like.  The  apostle,  therefore,  desires  that  in  matters  of 
this  sort  we  should  accommodate  ourselves  to  the  public  feeling, 
not  only  shunning  evil,  but  the  appearance  of  evil  ;  so  that 
nothing  in  our  conduct  should  possibly  give  vantage  ground 
to  our  enemies  :  for  if  a  pagan*  who  had  no  particular  respect 
for  true  honour,  considered  that  his  wife  should  not  only  be 
pure  and  chaste  in  reality,  but  even  that  that  purity  should 
not  be  for  a  moment  questioned,  how  much  more  should  we 
feel  the  same  with  regard  to  a  christian  soul,  the  spouse  of 
Jesus,  Lord  of  glory,  and  King  of  saints  !  Having  the  honour 
of  such  an  alliance,  a  soul  should  be  careful,  not  only  of  her 
purity,  but  of  her  reputation,  in  order  to  bring  no  spot  or  stain 
of  evil,  whether  real  or  apparent,  upon  the  household  of  her 
divine  Husband. 

Seventhly,  that  nothing  may  be  omitted,  the  apostle  con- 
cludes with,  "  if  there  be  any  virtue,  if  there  be  any  praise, 
that  is,  any  thing  considered  praiseworthy  among  men,  "  think 
on  these  things."  He  is  desirous  that  we  should  neglect  no 
virtue,  but  that  we  should  adorn  the  new  man  which  Christ 
has  created  within  us  with  every  thing  excellent  and  beautiful  ; 
so  that  none  of  these  divine  and  celestial  flowers  may  be  want- 
ing :  for  it  must  never  be  supposed  sufficient  to  possess  one  or 
two  only  ;  and  indeed  it  is  not  possible  to  have  one,  in  any 
degree  of  perfection,  without  all  the  others.  They  are  sisters 
so  firmly  linked  together  that  they  cannot  be  torn  asunder. 
But  even  were  it  possible,  nay,  easy  to  possess  some  without 
the  rest,  still  it  is  clear  that  a  true  christian  must  strive  after 
all,  because  the  same  who  commands  one  commands  likewise 
the  others.  Let  us  then  renounce  the  error  into  which  men  of 
the  world  fall,  of  supposing  it  sufficient  to  exercise  one  virtue, 
while  neglecting  every  other  :  thus  luxury  and  extravagance 
shelter  themselves  under  the  character  of  not  being  avaricious  ; 
thus  chastity  is  supposed  to  save  a  man  who  is  at  the  same  time 
cruel  and  uncharitable.  Let  us  never  separate  what  God  has 
united.  Let  us  embrace  with  all  our  hearts  everything  he  has 
commanded,  and  suffer  nothing  to  escape  us.  If  you  desire  to 
reign  in  heaven,  you  must  present  yourselves  there  with  this 
beautiful  crown,  from  whence  radiate  all  kinds  of  virtue  and 
praise.     i)o  not  forget  or  omit  one,  says  the  apostle,  "  Think 

*  Julius  Caesar. 


CHAP.   IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE    PHILIPPIANS.  437 

of  these  things,  and  do  them."  He  desires  us  to  "think"  of 
them,  because  the  mind  is  the  root  of  all  human  actions.  It  is 
the  mind  which  influences  the  will,  stirs  up  the  affections,  and 
conceives  and  produces  every  action.  He  therefore  would  have 
the  act  follow  the  intention.  For  it  is  not  merely  to  indulge 
the  mind  in  the  pleasures  of  vain  speculations  that  we  are  to 
exercise  ourselves  in  this  lofty  study,  but  rather  that  we  may 
put  in  practice  all  that  we  have  understood. 

Finally,  the  apostle's  words,  "praiseworthy  and  of  good  re- 
port," are  not  to  be  misunderstood,  as  though  he  commanded 
or  permitted  us  to  consider  our  own  reputation,  and  do  good 
in  order  to  obtain  praise  of  men.  He  tells  us  indeed  to  live  in 
the  study  and  practice  of  things  worthy  of  praise,  but  not  in 
order  to  obtain  it.  He  who  has  such  an  object  in  view  is  a 
slave  to  his  own  passions,  but  not  a  servant  of  God.  He  out- 
rages virtue,  the  most  beautiful  thing  in  the  world,  in  making 
it  subservient  to  vanity.  The  christian  regards  only  the  will 
of  God  and  his  approbation,  from  whose  goodness  and  free 
grace  he  expects  his  reward,  and  for  whom  therefore  alone  he 
labours. 

II.  But  the  apostle,  having  thus  set  before  the  Philippians 
in  order  the  duties  to  which  he  exhorts  them,  recommends 
them,  in  the  second  clause  of  the  text,  by  this  consideration, 
that  they  had  "  learned,  and  received,  and  heard,  and  seen  them 
in  him."  These  (he  declares)  are  not  novelties  of  which  he  has 
just  become  enamoured.  He  had  instilled  the  same  lessons 
into  them  from  the  beginning.  He  calls  upon  them  as  witnesses, 
saying  that  they  had  learned,  and  received,  and  heard,  and  seen 
them  in  him  ;  thus  manifesting  in  his  own  person  the  model  of 
a  faithful  preacher  of  the  gospel,  and  in  them  the  duty  of  true 
disciples.  For  respecting  the  first,  he  witnesses  with  what  care 
and  assiduity  he  had  preached  among  them  the  study  of  truth, 
righteousness,  and  christian  purity,  having  taught  or  recom- 
mended nothing  else  ;  on  the  contrary,  these  had  been  the  en- 
tire and  sole  object  of  his  instructions.  False  apostles  taught 
the  observance  of  ceremonies.  Paul  demanded  only  of  be- 
lievers holiness  and  purity  of  manners.  Ministers  of  the 
gospel  ought,  in  conformity  with  this  example,  to  give  their 
flocks  frequently  this  wholesome  and  solid  advice  ;  and  leave 
the  subtilties,  questions,  and  speculations  of  philosophy  to 
others  ;  these  latter  being  mostly  unwholesome  food,  pleasing 
perhaps  to  the  taste,  but  more  likely  to  poison  the  soul  than 
to  nourish  it. 

It  is  not,  however,  enough  that  the  servants  of  God  preach 
sound  doctrine  to  the  flock  committed  to  their  charge  ;  they 
must  exhibit  the  same  in  their  deportment,  even  as  Paul 
tells  the  Philippians,  that  they  not  only  had  heard  and  re- 
ceived those  things  from  him,  but  that  they  also  had  seen  them 


438  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.  XXVII. 

in  him,  his  conversation  and  manners  having  been  conformable 
to  his  preaching. 

The  sketch  of  his  life  which  is  given  us  in  the  Acts  proves 
this  fact  ;  for  he  devoted  himself  to  the  exercise  of  piety, 
righteousness,  gravity,  purity,  and  every  other  christian  grace. 
This  demonstrated  the  truth  of  his  doctrine.  He  easily  per- 
suaded others  of  what  it  was  evident  he  believed  himself.  On 
the  other  hand,  that  preaching  which  is  not  enforced  by  example 
is  but  vain  declamation,  which  but  increases  the  guilt  of  him 
who  so  shamefully  disgraces  his  holy  office,  and  can  never  truly 
benefit  his  hearers,  because  no  one  considers  his  doctrine  worthy 
of  faith,  while  his  manner  of  life  testifies  that  he  does  not  him- 
self believe  it.  The  ministers  of  the  Lord  have  however  a 
beautiful  pattern  of  their  duty  in  the  person  of  Paul.  You 
also,  dear  brethren,  have  the  model  of  yours  in  the  Philippian 
converts,  of  whom  the  apostle  witnesses  that  they  had  learned 
and  received,  and  heard  the  things  preached  to  them  ;  signify- 
ing hereby  the  attention  and  docility  with  which  they  had 
listened  to  the  gospel,  receiving  its  divine  lessons  with  respect, 
engraving  them  upon  their  hearts,  and  embracing  them  with 
zeal  and  ardour.  And  it  is  evident  that  their  own  interest 
would  prompt  them  to  retain  firmly  this  holy  faith  ;  exercising 
themselves  and  advancing  daily  in  humility  and  sanctification, 
even  as  at  the  beginning  they  had  received  it  with  alacrity  ; 
for  fear  lest,  relaxing  in  their  course,  they  might  through  neg- 
ligence lose  that  which  they  had  acquired. 

III.  Therefore,  in  order  to  encourage  them  to  persevere  in 
their  holy  way,  he  promises  that  the  "  God  of  peace  shall  be 
with  them.'1  This  promise  includes  every  blessing  that  we  are 
acquainted  with,  for  who  can  want  anything  with  whom  God 
dwells  ;  God,  the  only  source  of  all  happiness  ?  Therefore  it 
is  that  the  scriptures  often  speak  thus,  "  God  is  with  you,"  in 
order  to  signify  the  constant  assistance  derived  from  him,  and 
the  blessings  of  his  providence  ;  as  when  Moses  says,  "  God 
was  with  Joseph,"  he  shows  us  the  paternal  care  with  which  he 
watched  over  him  ;  and  thus  also  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ  ex- 
pressed himself  when  he  would  assure  his  faithful  disciples  of 
his  assistance  in  all  their  laborious  ministry,  saying,  "I  will  be 
with  you  always,  even  to  the  end  of  the  world."  Here  then, 
in  the  same  manner,  the  apostle,  in  saying  that  if  we  give  our- 
selves seriously  to  holiness  and  good  works,  "  God  will  be  with 
us,"  intends  us  to  understand  that  he  will  bless  us,  will  make 
all  things  work  for  our  good,  will  console  us  in  every  trouble, 
and  strengthen  us  in  every  conflict  ;  and  thus,  giving  us  while 
in  this  world  his  grace  and  favour,  aud  guiding  us  through  all 
our  sojourn  here,  he  will  at  length  bring  us  into  his  heavenly 
and  glorious  kingdom.  And  it  may  here  be  remarked  that  he 
gives  God  frequently  this  title,  "  The  God  of  peace,"  when  he 


CHAP.   IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  439 

would  promise  us  such  blessings.  Just  before  lie  had  said  that 
the  peace  of  God  should  keep  our  hearts  and  minds  in  Christ 
Jesus  ;  now  he  gives  us  stronger  assurance,  saying  that  the 
God  of  peace  shall  be  with  us. 

The  scriptures  often  designate  the  Almighty  thus  ;  first,  be- 
cause that  divine  and  blessed  Being  enjoys  within  himself  such 
profound  peace,  that  no  changes  which  may  take  place  in  this 
lower  world  are  capable  of  disturbing  his  holy  rest  ;  secondly, 
because  as  nothing  is  so  lovely  in  his  eyes  as  peace,  so  nothing 
is  so  hateful  to  him  as  division,  war,  and  tumult.  The  vision 
seen  by  Elijah  (1  Kings  xix.  12)  illustrates  this,  for  the  scrip- 
ture observes  that  God  was  manifested  to  him,  not  in  the  wind, 
not  in  the  tempest,  not  in  the  fire,  but  in  a  still  small  voice  ; 
thus  demonstrating  that  God  dwells  in  tranquil,  calm,  and 
peaceful  minds,  not  in  boisterous  and  turbulent  spirits.  And 
lastly,  he  is  called  the  "  God  of  peace,"  because  he  alone  is  the 
author  of  whatever  degree  of  peace  his  creatures  may  enjoy. 
He  it  is  who  maintains  peace  among  the  holy  and  blessed 
angels,  having  (as  Job  tells  us)  ordained  peace  in  high  places. 
He  it  is  who  bestows  on  us,  in  his  Son,  that  peace  we  now 
possess,  and  that  we  hope  for  hereafter  ;  peace  in  this  world, 
and  peace  in  the  world  to  come. 

But  if  you  understand  the  expression  "of  peace"  in  the 
sense  in  which  the  scriptures  commonly  use  it,  to  signify  pros- 
perity and  happiness,  then  is  he  again  rightly  called  the  "  God 
of  peace  ;"  because  on  his  free  grace  and  favour  alone  depends 
every  success  enjoyed  here  below,  whether  by  the  church  in 
general,  or  by  individuals  in  particular.  It  is  under  this  ap- 
pellation that  he  comes  to  us,  if  we  walk  in  holiness,  shedding 
abroad  in  our  hearts  sweet  consolation,  blessing  both  us  and. 
our  flocks,  and  those  among  whom  we  dwell  in  communion, 
and  causing  all  things,  even  the  most  apparently  inimical,  to 
work  for  our  good. 

Such,  dear  friends,  is  the  exposition  of  this  last  precept 
which  the  apostle  gives  to  the  Philippians  in  this  Epistle. 
May  it  be  deeply  impressed  on  our  hearts  ;  let  us  meditate  of- 
ten upon  it,  that  we  may  profit  thereby,  and  be  enabled  care- 
fully to  practise  it.  We  may  learn  from  it  how  false  is  the 
calumny  of  those  who  accuse  evangelical  religion  of  setting 
aside  good  works,  and  how  greatly  they  err  who  believe  it. 
For  how  is  it  possible  to  urge  their  necessity  more  strongly  ?  Or 
how  could  they  be  more  splendidly  inculcated  than  by  the 
apostle's  words  in  the  text?  For  they  show  that  a  christian's 
life  should  be  spent  only  in  thinking  and  doing  such  things  as 
are  true,  just,  venerable,  pure,  lovely,  and  of  good  report,  and 
in  practising  every  sort  of  virtue.  If  there  be  any  persons  who 
live  a  vicious  life  in  so  holy  a  school,  let  them  answer  for  their 
malice  and  wickedness.     The  gospel  is  not  to  blame  either  for 


440  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXVII. 

their  error  or  its  punishment.  It  is  their  own  hardness,  and 
no  imperfection  in  it,  which  retains  them  in  sin.  The  gospel 
calls  and  urges  them  to  purity  and  virtue  ;  its  lessons  are  re- 
peated over  and  over  again  ;  the  most  holy  motives  are  set 
forth  to  them  ;  and  if  they  continue  in  vice  and  sin,  it  is  their 
own  fault,  and  not  that  of  the  gospel.  We  might  with  much 
more  truth  retort  this  accusation  on  those  who  make  it.  For 
is  it  not  an  evident  death-blow  to  the  pursuit  of  holiness  to 
teach  that  its  loftiest  and  most  beautiful  traits  are  not  neces- 
sary to  all  believers,  but  belong  only  to  the  more  exalted 
minds,  to  those  whom  they  account  among  the  perfect?  And 
further,  that  for  the  commonalty,  a  small  measure  of  faith  and 
virtue  is  sufficient,  while  the  most  excellent  works  of  holiness 
are  supererogatory,  that  is,  are  not  absolutely  commanded  by 
God,  but  merely  recommended,  thus,  leaving  it  to  a  believer 
to  work  or  not,  as  he  may  please?  0  vile  and  pernicious 
doctrine  !  which  with  one  blow  ruins  all,  both  those  who  per- 
form good  works,  by  the  vain  presumption  of  having  per- 
formed more  than  was  required  ;  and  those  who  do  them  not, 
by  the  blind  security  in  which  it  plunges  them,  under  the  idea 
that  they  may  be  saved  without  so  needful  a  part  of  sanctifi- 
cation. This  one  passage  of  scripture,  although,  there  were  no 
other  in  the  whole  book  of  God,  is  sufficient  to  refute  this  er- 
ror. For  it  is  clear  that  there  is  no  good  action,  of  whatever 
nature,  that  you  can  possibly  figure  to  yourselves,  which  does 
not  come  under  the  class  of  things  true,  or  just,  or  venerable, 
or  pure,  or  lovely,  or  of  good  report,  or  praiseworthy,  or  vir- 
tuous. If  it  could  not  be  classed  with  any  of  these,  it  could 
not  be  good,  much  less  meritorious  and  supererogatory,  as 
false  teachers  represent.  Now  the  apostle,  as  you  see,  com- 
mands us  to  think  of  all  things  that  are  good,  and  to  do  them. 
Certainly  then  there  can  be  nothing  good  which  we  are  not 
desired  to  do,  consequently  there  can  be  no  virtue  supereroga- 
tory, or  merely  advised.  And  besides  the  authority  of  the 
apostle,  the  very  reason  of  things  proves  this.  For  as  God  is 
a  sovereign,  as  he  has  given  us  all  we  have  of  being  and  life, 
as,  not  satisfied  with  having  once  given  us  life,  he  has  redeemed 
and  purchased  it  again  at  the  infinite  price  of  the  death  of  his 
Son  ;  who  can  but  see  that  we  owe  him  all  we  are  capable  of 
rendering  of  duty  and  obedience,  and  that  we  are  bound  to 
employ  in  his  service  every  thought  and  affection?  And 
therefore  you  know  he  commands  us  in  his  law  expressly,  to 
love  him  with  all  our  hearts,  with  all  our  minds,  with  all  our 
strength.  Let  us  then  hold  and  maintain,  as  a  fixed  principle, 
that  there  is  no  point  of  sanctification,  however  complete  and 
refined,  which  we  do  not  owe  to  God  ;  and  that  after  we  have 
done  everything,  we  have  merely  done  that  which  it  is  our  duty 
to  do  ;  that  no  one  is  exempt  from  this  obligation,  whether 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE  PHILIPPIANS.  441 

minister  or  layman,  whether  small  or  great.  Let  no  one  trans- 
fer the  study  and  aim  after  perfection  into  the  hands  of  others. 
As  all  believers  aspire  after  eternal  life,  so  must  they  all  walk 
in  the  way  which  conducts  thereto,  even  the  way  of  holiness  ; 
and  as  all  are  honoured  with  the  appellation  of  "  children  of 
God,"  so  ought  all  to  be  perfect,  as  their  father  in  heaven  is 
perfect.  Be  assured  the  apostle  addresses  this  divine  precept 
to  every  one  of  us,  as  it  is  evident  that  he  speaks  here  to  all 
the  Philippian  christians  generally,  and  we  should  study  to 
practise  what  he  has  commanded. 

Comparing  then  the  rules  which  he  has  given  us  with  our 
lives,  we  must  with  shame  and  sorrow  acknowledge  our  nume- 
rous failings.  He  commands  us  to  think  of  every  thing  true, 
just,  venerable,  pure,  lovely,  and  of  good  report  ;  and  if  there 
be  any  thing  worthy  of  praise,  if  there  be  any  virtue,  to  think 
of  these  things  and  do  them.  How  many  are  there  amongst 
us  who  have  never  thought  of  them,  and  much  less  done  them  ; 
whose  religion  consists  merely  in  a  naked  profession,  which  is 
denied  by  their  actions  and  conduct  !  They  attend  public 
worship,  they  partake  of  the  outward  sacrament  ;  but  they 
have  not  that  holiness  without  which  no  man  can  see  the  Lord. 
Instead  of  the  seal  of  truth,  which  ought  to  be  the  very  mark 
and  stamp  of  their  lives,  they  are  full  of  deceit  and  guile  ; 
they  act  a  perpetual  farce,  in  which  they  appear  any  thing  but 
what  they  are  ;  and  their  boldness  has  arrived  to  such  a  pitch, 
that  they  consider  this  very  vice  a  virtue.  They  call  hypocri- 
sy prudence,  and  knavery  wit  and  address.  There  is  nothing 
holy  and  true  in  their  aim  or  their  means.  And  as  for  that 
calm  seriousness  which  ought  to  manifest  itself  in  our  conver- 
sation, where  is  it  to  be  found  ?  How  many  of  us,  forgetting 
what  we  are,  and  the  majesty  of  the  Lord  Jesus  whose  name 
we  bear,  and  the  glory  of  that  heaven  to  which  he  calls  us, 
amuse  ourselves  with  vain  trifles,  with  earthly  pastimes,  with 
the  puerilities  and  follies  of  the  world  !  It  is  not  for  a  chris- 
tian, a  disciple  of  Christ,  an  heir  of  eternity,  to  waste  his  time 
with  the  children  of  this  world,  to  mix  in  their  games,  in  their 
dances,  in  their  theatrical  entertainments,  in  their  fêtes,  their 
revels,  their  drunkenness,  their  excesses.  It  is  not  for  him  to 
grow  old  in  these  vanities,  though  age,  which  arrests  the  ca- 
reer of  worldly  men,  is  unable  to  form  such  a  one  to  the  dig- 
nity suited  to  his  profession. 

What  shall  I  say  also  of  that  justice  which  we  owe  to  all 
men,  the  foundation  of  public  virtue,  the  very  bond  of  soci- 
ety, the  necessity  of  which  even  savages  are  compelled  to  ac- 
knowledge ?  Who  would  believe  it  is  continually  outraged 
in  societies  of  christians,  where  injustice  should  be  met  with 
as  a  prodigy  ?  And  yet  (we  must  confess  it  to  our  shame)  it  is 
committed  every  day  among  us.  There  are  among  us  people 
56 


442  AN,  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVII. 

who  wrong  tlieir  neighbours,  who  spare  not  their  own  bre- 
thren, who  hunt  after  the  wealth  of  others,  who  borrow  and 
never  pay,  who  forcibly  take  what  is  not  their  own.  There 
are  to  be  found  among  us  children  who  have  no  respect  for 
their  parents,  husbands  without  affection  for  their  wives,  wives 
who  obey  not  their  husbands,  brothers  who  hate  their  bro- 
thers :  and  there  are  few  who  do  not  to  others  what  they 
would  reprobate  others  doing  to  them. 

Purity  is  no  better  observed.  Dissoluteness  of  manners, 
adultery,  drunkenness,  gluttony,  are  of  frequent  occurrence  ; 
to  say  nothing  of  those  "  spots  on  our  garments,"  avarice,  lux- 
ury, expensive  furniture  and  dress,  things  utterly  at  variance 
with  christian  simplicity,  chastity,  and  purity. 

It  is  no  wonder  therefore  that,  failing  so  sadly  in  things  of 
importance,  we  should  have  little  care  for  such  as  are  lovely, 
as  kindness  and  generosity:  every  one  considering  himself  as 
born  for  his  own  pleasure,  and  as  owing  nothing  to  any  one, 
while  everybody  owes  much  to  him.  And  as  for  things  of 
good  report,  we  care  so  little  about  them  that  we  often  run  af- 
ter things  of  bad  odour  among  men,  bringing  thereby  scandal 
and  opprobrium  on  the  church  of  Christ.  The  passions  of  ava- 
rice and  ambition,  for  instance,  are  so  violent  that  they  set 
aside  conscience  and  reputation,  and  roam  right  and  left  to 
gratify  themselves,  as  monsters  search  after  their  prey.  Dear 
brethren,  it  is  with  much  grief  that  I  thus  probe  your  wounds. 
But  it  is  needful  to  discover  in  order  to  heal  them. 

Let  us  then  set  about  a  serious  repentance.  Let  a  holy 
shame  be  its  commencement.  Let  us  blush  to  remember  how 
we  have  served  that  God  who  has  been  so  good  to  us,  scandal- 
izing his  church,  and  disgracing  his  name,  by  our  manner  of 
life.  Let  us  ask  pardon  for  our  faults,  and  kneeling  at  his 
footstool  let  us  continue  there  until  we  obtain  the  favour  we 
need.  Let  us  make  a  firm  and  solemn  resolution  to  do  better 
in  future,  and  to  employ  the  remainder  of  our  lives  in  a  rigid 
observation  of  our  duties.  Let  us  renounce  every  vice,  ban- 
ishing from  our  society  all  falsehood,  frivolity,  injustice,  im- 
purity, in  short  everything  that  can  provoke  the  wrath  of 
God,  or  deserve  the  hatred  and  contempt  of  men.  Let  that 
truth,  innocence,  gentleness,  sweetness,  beneficence,  that  purity 
of  manners,  that  gravity  and  virtue,  which  the  first  ministers 
of  Christ  recommended  both  by  their  doctrine  and  practice, 
and  which  the  world  saw  and  admired  in  them,  revive  and 
shine  amongst  us. 

O  eternal  God  !  what  would  be  the  glory  of  our  church  in 
general,  and  what  the  happiness  of  each  individual  in  it,  if, 
loosing  our  hearts  and  affections  from  earth,  and  renouncing 
the  excitements  of  passion,  we  walked  all  with  one  accord  in 
the  way  of  holiness  ;  if,  leaving  the  vain  occupations  of  the 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  443 

world,  we  thought  only  of  practising  those  true,  just,  venera- 
ble, lovely,  and  pure  things,  full  of  virtue  and  praise,  which 
the  apostle  commands  us  !  The  light  of  such  a  life  would  con- 
found the  enemy.  It  would  shut  the  mouth  of  calumny  ;  it 
would  convert  the  hatred  and  blasphemy  of  the  world  into 
love,  and  praise,  and  edification  :  new  subjects  would  be  ac- 
quired to  Jesus,  and  his  empire  would  enlarge  itself  both  in 
length  and  breadth  ;  for  think  not  that  it  was  either  the  power 
of  miracles,  or  the  wonders  of  knowledge,  or  the  eloquence 
of  the  preaching  of  the  first  christians,  which  converted  the 
world  formerly.  Their  holiness  was  the  great  instrument  in 
this  work;  and  the  reason  of  our  not  being  useful  as  they 
were,  is  not  because  we  are  less  learned  and  less  eloquent  than 
they  ;  all  the  difference  is  that  our  lives  are  not  holy  as  theirs 
were.  If  we  walk  in  holiness  of  life,  we  shall  have  the  same 
success  as  they  had;  and  besides  the  glory  of  God,  this  would 
turn  to  our  own  happiness:  "The  God  of  peace  shall  be  with 
you,"  says  the  apostle.  In  the  exercise  of  holiness  we  should 
enjoy  a  sweet  and  calm  repose,  passing  through  this  world  and 
looking  for  the  next  with  a  contented  mind,  free  from  fear,  and 
trouble,  and  anxiety,  and  remorse,  and  all  those  miseries  which 
vice  invariably  produces  in  the  hearts  of  such  as  are  enslaved 
by  it.  Possessing  Jesus  Christ,  assured  of  his  favour  and  of 
our  own  immortality,  we  should  dwell  in  joy  and  unutterable 
peace,  until,  after  these  pledges  of  paradise,  he  shall  raise  us  to 
heaven,  and  cause  us  to  drink  at  the  very  fountain  of  these 
delights. 

To  him,  then,  with  the  Father,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  one  God 
blessed  for  ever,  be  ascribed  glory,  honour,  and  praise.    Amen. 


SERMON  XXVIII. 

VERSES    10 — 14. 


But  1  rejoiced  in  the  Lord  greatly,  that  now  at  the  last  your  care 
of  me  hath  flourished  again  ;  wherein  ye  were  also  careful,  hut 
ye  lacked  opportunity.  Not  that  I  speak  in  respect  of  want  : 
for  I  have  learned,  in  whatsoever  state  I  am,  therewith  to  he 
content.  I  know  both  how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  hoio  to 
abound:  every  where  and  in  all  things  I  am  instructed  both  to 
be  full  and  to  be  hungry,  both  to  abound  and  to  suffer  need.  I 
can  do  all  things  through.  Christ  which  strengthened  me.  Not- 
withstanding ye  have  ivell  done,  that  ye  did  communicate  with 
my  affliction. 

As  believers  who  have  wealth  are  commanded  by  the  laws 
of  the  gospel  to  administer  to  the  wants  of  their  brethren,  so 


4:44  AN  EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVIII. 

also  should  relief  be  received  with  joy  and  gratitude  ;  and  true 
charity  mainly  consists  in  the  exercise  of  these  two  duties. 
We  have  a  beautiful  example  of  both  in  the  text  which  has 
just  been  read  to  you  ;  wherein  we  see,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
Philippians  sending  to  Paul  things  needful  to  him  in  his 
bonds  ;  and,  on  the  other,  the  great  apostle  receiving  the  gift 
with  singular  gratitude  and  sweetness  ;  for  it  appears,  from  the 
closing  of  this  Epistle,  that  they  had  sent  Epaphroditus  to 
visit  him  in  his  prison,  and  by  his  hands  had  presented  a  cha- 
ritable subscription  for  his  necessities. 

The  apostle  had  not  mentioned  the  subject  hitherto,  having, 
in  the  former  chapters  of  this  Epistle,  discoursed  on  the  more 
important  points  of  the  instruction  and  spiritual  edification 
of  the  church.  But  having  discharged  fully  this  more  press- 
ing duty,  in  these  few  verses  he  touches  upon  charity,  and  re- 
turns them  his  acknowledgments  for  theirs.  And  in  this  Paul 
has  acted  in  a  remarkable  manner.  A  mercenary  person 
would  have  commenced  by  thanking  them,  as  though  that 
were  the  subject  nearest  his  heart,  or  at  least  of  which  he 
chose  to  speak  first.  An  ungrateful  person,  on  the  contrary, 
would  have  said  nothing  about  it.  The  apostle,  avoiding  these 
two  extremes,  thanks  the  Philippians  for  their  present,  but 
only  at  the  latter  portion  of  his  letter,  and  after  having  spoken 
largely  concerning  heaven  and  his  Lord.  And  further,  he 
treats  the  subject  in  so  exquisite  a  manner,  that  in  expressing 
his  sincere  and  real  acknowledgments  to  the  believers,  he  ma- 
nifests no  low  and  earthly  feeling.  All  his  words  are  grand 
and  lofty,  full  of  noble  and  exalted  sentiments.  For  as  all 
things  change  their  nature  in  the  hands  of  God,,  a  dry  rod  into 
a  flowering  almond  tree,  a  shepherd  into  a  king,  a  herdsman 
into  a  prophet;  so,  in  like  manner,  this  blessed  apostle,  parti- 
cipating in  some  degree  (if  we  may  thus  speak)  in  this  quality 
of  his  Lord,  transforms  the  subjects  he  handles.  He  strips 
them  of  everything  vile  and  despicable,  and  clothes  them  with 
another  dress,  spiritual  and  beautiful.  The  Philippians  had 
sent  him  a  small  sum  in  Roman  coin.  The  thing  was  little  in 
itself,  and  still  less  with  respect  to  this  great  apostle,  who  es- 
teemed all  the  riches  of  the  world  no  more  than  a  morsel  of 
mud  or  a  handful  of  dust.  Yet  he  changes  this  little  present 
into  a  holy  sacrifice,  the  odour  of  which  has  mounted  to  hea- 
ven, and  there  rejoices  God  and  men.  He  speaks  of  it  loftily, 
taking  occasion  in  his  usual  way  to  philosophize,  and  showing 
by  his  own  example  what  should  be  our  feelings  and  affec- 
tions, respecting  the  abundance  or  scarcity  of  earthly  things. 
Neglect  not  then,  believing  souls,  this  latter  part  of  Paul's 
Epistle,  under  the  idea  that  it  respects  only  the  present  made 
by  the  Philippians.  However  dry  and  uninteresting  it  may  at 
first  sight  appear,  you  will  see,  on  further  examination,  that  it 
opens  for  our  instruction  a  lively  spring  of  piety. 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE  EPISTLE  TO  THE  PHILIPPIANS.  445 

And  that  we  may  more  abundantly  profit,  let  us  consider 
attentively,  and  in  due  order,  the  three  points  which  present 
themselves  in  the  text  you  have  just  heard. 

The  first  is  in  the  10th  verse,  and  speaks  of  the  joy  which 
the  apostle  felt  in  receiving  such  a  proof  of  the  charity  and 
affection  of  the  Philippians  by  Epaphroditus. 

The  second  point  is  contained  in  the  three  following  verses, 
and  respects  the  disposition  that  we  should  maintain  concern- 
ing the  things  of  this  life. 

And  the  third  is  in  the  last  verse,  and  is  contained  in  the 
praise  that  the  apostle  gives  to  the  Philippians. 

These  three  subjects  I  propose,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  to 
consider  in  this  discourse. 

I.  The  joy  of  the  apostle  ;  his  moderation  in  want  or  ful- 
ness ;  and  the  approbation  bestowed  on  the  charitable  subscrip- 
tion of  the  Philippians.  It  is  a  law  founded  on  natural  equity, 
established  by  God  in  his  word,  and  amply  justified  in  the  9th 
chapter  of  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  by  the  apostle 
Paul,  that  every  church  is  commanded  to  furnish  to  the  pastors 
who  instruct  it  all  things  necessary  for  the  maintenance  both 
of  them  and  their  families,  so  that  the  duties  and  functions  of 
a  heavenly  ministry  may  not  be  disturbed  by  anxiety  and  the 
care  of  earthly  things.  According  to  this  law,  the  greater  part 
of  the  christian  churches  owed  this  charitable  duty  to  Paul, 
because  he  had  founded,  or  confirmed,  or  instructed  nearly  all 
of  them.  Yet,  as  he  has  declared  in  several  places,  yielding 
his  right  to  the  advancement  of  God's  glory  and  the  edification 
of  men,  he  drew  not  his  subsistence  from  the  believers  to 
whom  he  had  preached  the  gospel,  but  procured  his  living  by 
working  with  his  own  hands.  This,  however,  did  not  prevent 
him  from  receiving,  on  certain  unusual  occasions,  (either  when 
it  was  difficult  or  impossible  to  labour,  as  when  in  prison  or 
sick,)  the  voluntary  offerings  made  him  by  some  of  the  flocks 
whom  he  had  served.  From  these  acknowledgments  it  is  evi- 
dent that  such  assistance  was  necessary  for  him.  And  among 
all  the  churches  to  whom  he  owed  this  obligation,  he  specially 
mentions  this  one  of  the  Philippians,  who,  from  the  very  com- 
mencement of  his  preaching  in  Macedonia,  had  communicated 
assistance  to  him,  and  it  appears  that  this  occurred  more  than 
once,  Phil.  iv.  15.  Now  again,  hearing  that  the  holy  apostle,  their 
dear  master,  the  founder  of  their  church,  was  in  prison  in  Rome, 
they  called  to  remembrance  their  former  charity,  and  despatching 
Epaphroditus  to  him,  besides  salutations,  they  sent  a  present,  in 
order  that  they  might  minister  to  his  necessities.  This  he  alludes 
to  in  saying,  "  that  at  the  last  your  care  of  me  hath  flourished 
again."  It  is  a  figure  drawn  from  the  plants  whose  life  mani- 
fests itself  by  the  verdure  of  their  branches  and  leaves.  Chris- 
tians, observe  this  manner  of  speaking,  and  learn  from  hence 


446  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERJI.  XXVIII. 

that  almsgiving,  care  of  others,  kindness,  and  every  charitable 
work,  are  the  true  and  needful  marks  of  piety.  First,  they 
are  its  glory  and  ornament  ;  for  what  can  be  more  melancholy 
than  a  tree  without  verdure,  uselessly  extending  its  naked 
branches  in  the  air  ?  in  like  manner,  nothing  is  so  hideous  in 
the  church  as  a  man  without  charity.  But  besides  being  the 
ornament,  charity  is  also  the  very  life  or  soul  of  piety.  I  ac- 
knowledge that  it  occasionally  happens  that  faith  remains  some 
time  without  manifesting  this  delightful  verdure  outwards, 
though  retaining  the  sap  within,  like  trees  during  the  rigour 
of  winter  ;  and  in  such  a  case  it  would  be  reasoning  badly  to 
conclude  that  piety  must  be  dead  because  it  did  not  blossom 
outwardly.  But  I  must  say  that  it  could  not  continue  long  in 
this  state.  I  do  not  condemn  a  plant  as  dead  because  it  has 
been  some  months  without  leaves  ;  but  if  it  remains  in  that 
state  for  years,  if  the  sweet  showers  of  spring  and  the  bright 
sun  of  summer  pass,  and  yet  it  does  not  put  forth  its  foliage, 
I  then  lose  all  hope  of  its  life,  and  root  it  up  without  scruple 
from  the  earth  it  occupied  in  vain.  Judge  from  hence,  ye 
avaricious  men,  what  opinion  we  must  form  of  your  religion, 
who  allow  so  many  suns  to  pass  over  your  heads  without 
being  warmed  to  life,  whom  no  season  has  ever  caused  to  put 
forth  either  blossoms  or  fruits.  I  know  not  what  may  be  your 
inward  feelings,  yet  am  I  well  assured  that  God  judges  of 
plants  by  their  productions,  and  will  therefore  class  you  with 
dead  trees  ;  and  unless  you  change  your  spirit  and  mode  of 
life,  you  must  expect  the  end  of  the  barren  fig  tree,  even  to  be 
torn  from  the  earth,  which  you  only  encumber,  and  to  be  cast 
into  the  fire.  Prevent  then  such  a  sad  and  severe  condemna- 
tion. Eenounce  this  hardness  of  heart,  this  wonderful  ste- 
rility. Obey  those  shining  rays  which  the  Sun  of  righteous- 
ness causes  to  light  upon  you.  Bend  beneath  the  efficacy  of 
the  holy  light,  and,  yielding  yourselves  to  virtue,  manifest  the 
verdure  which  she  demands  by  clothing  yourselves  with  the 
works  of  a  pure  and  abundant  charity.  Imitate  these  Philip- 
pians.  Be  kind  like  them  to  the  prisoners  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  to  any  believer  who  may  stand  in  need  of  your  assistance. 
It  is  true,  the  apostle,  praising  their  present  charity,  seems 
to  accuse  them  of  former  coldness  and  neglect  ;  saying,  not 
only  that  their  care  of  him  was  fresh  and  vigorous,  but  that, 
with  regard  to  this  care,  they  "  had  flourished  again,"  and  also 
this  "  at  the  last,"  which  appears  as  though  they  had  failed  in 
this  duty  for  a  long  season.  The  apostle,  in  order  to  soften 
this  reproach,  and  purify  the  praise  he  had  bestowed  from  this 
taste  of  bitterness,  adds,  "  Wherein  ye  were  also  careful,  but 
ye  lacked  opportunity."  He  throws  the  blame  of  their  having 
for  some  time  failed  in  this  respect  upon  events,  which  had 
not  allowed  them  an  opportunity  of  testifying  the  good-will 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  447 

which  they  had  always  felt  towards  him,  whether  it  were  their 
own  need,  which  had  prevented  them  from  assisting  him,  or 
whether  (and  this  I  consider  the  most  likely  supposition)  they 
had  not  been  able  to  find  a  faithful  and  trustworthy  person  by 
whom  to  transmit  their  subscription.  Whatever  it  might  be, 
the  means  were  at  length  afforded  them  of  executing  their  de- 
sire, and  their  charity  prompted  them  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  opportunity,  and  after  a  long  and  unwilling  delay,  they 
cheerfully  proved  to  the  apostle  their  verdure,  and  the  lively 
regard  they  felt  for  him. 

He  therefore  says  "  he  rejoiced  in  the  Lord  greatly."  He 
makes  this  declaration  for  their  sakes  ;  for  the  believer  ought 
not  only  to  give,  but  also  to  receive,  with  cheerfulness.  Cold- 
ness in  receiving  a  present  seems  to  imply  that  the  affection 
of  the  giver  is  not  returned.  It  is  the  least  acknowledgment 
that  we  can  render  to  those  who  oblige  us,  to  make  it  appear 
that  their  kindness  is  agreeable  to  us.  Perhaps  it  may  sur- 
prise you  that  the  great  apostle  should  do  more  on  such  an  oc- 
casion than  simply  "  rejoice,"  rather  than  "  rejoice  greatly," 
and  it  may  seem  to  you  that  he  carried  his  gratitude  to  excess 
for  so  small  a  present  ;  like  Jonah,  who  "  rejoiced  greatly  for 
the  gourd,"  that  is,  for  a  small  plant  which  gave  him  but  little 
shade.  But  Paul  himself  solves  this  mystery,  when  he  says 
that  he  rejoiced  "  in  the  Lord."  True,  the  present,  sent  by 
the  Philippians,  was  small  with  regard  to  himself,  and,  were 
that  all,  the  apostle  would  not  have  experienced  the  slightest 
emotion  of  joy.  But  it  is  not  in  respect  of  its  actual  value 
that  he  regards  this  present  ;  he  considers  the  heart  from 
whence  it  proceeded,  the  love  that  had  produced  this  fruit, 
even  the  love  of  Jesus,  which  was  at  the  root,  and  the 
glory  of  his  name  and  gospel,  which  was  the  object.  This  it 
is  that  rendered  it  so  acceptable  to  Paul.  These  divine  marks 
were  the  true  cause  of  his  joy.  What  can  there  be  less  than 
a  mite  ?  Yet  the  Lord  prized  the  two  mites  cast  into  the  box 
of  the  temple  by  the  poor  widow,  more  than  the  richest  offer- 
ings of  the  great,  because  they  sprung  from  a  generous  heart, 
from  a  lofty  charity.  And  we  are  permitted  thus  to  estimate 
and  desire  the  gifts  of  believers,  namely,  as  they  are  the  fruits 
of  their  piety,  and  marks  of  that  love  which  they  bear  to  the 
Saviour.  From  this  source  the  joy  of  the  apostle  sprung.  It 
was  not  carnal,  but  spiritual  joy.  He  rejoiced  not  for  himself, 
because,  his  body  might  obtain  relief  by  means  of  their  sub- 
scription ;  but  in  the  Lord,  because  he  saw  by  it  that  his  name 
was  honoured  and  his  gospel  loved  and  obeyed.  It  was  no 
small  proof  of  the  zeal  of  the  Philippians,  that  at  a  period 
when  others  turned  their  back  upon  the  apostle,  and  abandoned 
him  in  his  prison,  they  should  take  part  in  his  bonds,  and  as- 
sist him  to  the  utmost  of  their  power  ;  and  whereas  many  in 


418  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVIII. 

Rome  concealed  themselves  from  him,  or  even  quitted  the  city 
that  they  might  not  be  entangled  in  his  cause,  they  should  send 
two  or  three  hundred  leagues  in  order  to  fulfil  toward  him  the 
duties  of  charity.  It  is  no  wonder  that  such  rare  love  should 
comfort  him.  It  would  have  been  unjust  not  to  rejoice  at  see- 
ing such  precious  fruit  in  his  dear  disciples. 

And  here,  let  it  not  be  alleged  that  he  glories  elsewhere  in 
not  having  received  anything  from  them  to  whom  he  had 
preached  the  gospel,  adding  even  that  it  were  better  for  him 
to  die  than  that  any  one  should  make  his  glorying  void, 
1  Cor.  ix.  15  ;  for  although  he  thus  speaks,  yet  nevertheless 
his  hands  were  not  tied  that  he  could  never  receive  anything 
from  the  churches,  and  still  less  was  his  heart  restrained  from 
rejoicing  in  the  love  and  charity  of  those  from  whom  he  re- 
ceived assistance.  It  is  easy  to  perceive,  from  the  11th  chap- 
ter of  the  Second  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  that  his  scrupul- 
ously abstaining  from  receiving  any  thing  from  the  churches 
of  Achaia  arose  from  a  desire  to  take  away  every  opportunity 
for  false  apostles  to  speak  reproachfully,  "  in  order  (says  he) 
that  wherein  they  glory  they  may  be  found  even  as  we."  But 
with  regard  to  other  churches,  he  did  not  reject  the  subscrip- 
tions that  were  made  for  him  on  remarkable  occasions,  as  ap- 
pears both  from  this  Epistle  and  another,  wherein  he  says, 
"That  which  was  lacking  in  me,  the  brethren  which  came 
from  Macedonia  supplied,"  2  Cor.  xi.  9.  Thus  you  see  that 
his  glorying  in  having  preached  the  gospel  to  the  Corinthians 
without  receiving  any  assistance  from  them,  does  not  prevent 
his  rejoicing  in  the  present  made  to  him  by  the  Philippians. 

Having  however  declared  to  them  the  pleasure  which  their 
charity  had  caused  him,  he  hastens  to  prevent  the  evil  inter- 
pretation which  might  be  put  upon  his  words  :  "  Not  (says  he) 
that  I  speak  in  respect  of  want  :  for  I  have  learned  in  whatso- 
ever state  I  am,  therewith  to  be  content.  I  know  both  how  to 
be  abased,  and  I  know  how  to  abound  :  everywhere  and  in  all 
things  I  am  instructed  both  to  be  full  and  to  be  hungry,  both 
to  abound  and  to  suffer  need."  He  had  just  before  said  that 
he  was  greatly  pleased  with  their  care  of  him.  Some  might 
from  this  imagine  that  until  the  Philippians  had  shed  upon 
him  this  charitable  dew,  he  had  been  in  sadness  and  ennui,  lan- 
guishing and  low-spirited  under  the  necessities  of  a  prison. 
He  therefore  corrects  this  false  conclusion,  and  declares  to  the 
faithful  that  he  had  never  been  in  this  condition,  his  heart  hav- 
ing always  fouud  perfect  content  in  the  situation  in  which  God 
had  placed  him,  without  being  elevated  in  abundance,  or  de- 
pressed in  adversity.  Do  not  impute  to  vanity  the  liberty  which 
he  takes  in  discovering  this  noble  and  magnificent  quality  of 
his  mind.  It  is  for  our  interest  that  he  has  placed  this  before 
our  eyes  ;  for  as  he  is  one  of  the  principal  models  on  which  we 


CHAP.   IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  449 

are  to  form  our  character,  it  is  of  importance  to  know  truly 
what  were  the  feelings  and  sentiments  of  his  soul,  lest,  ima- 
gining such  as  were  not  in  him,  we  should  run  some  danger  in 
imitating  them.  First,  then,  he  says  that  it  was  not  on  account 
of  his  poverty  that  he  found  the  subscription  of  the  Philip- 
pians  so  pleasing  to  him.  But  how  is  it  possible,  O  holy 
apostle,  that  having  been  so  long  in  a  melancholy  state  of  im- 
prisonment, thou  hast  not  felt  the  pangs  of  indigence  ?  Hadst 
thou  some  secret  treasure  ?  Has  a  concealed  source  supplied 
thee  with  necessaries  ?  No,  he  answers.  It  is  not  thus  I  would 
be  understood.  I  have  never  possessed  riches,  and  the  prison 
of  Nero  takes  from  me  the  only  means  I  had  of  providing  for 
myself,  so  that  those  who  measure  things  outwardly  would  es- 
teem my  indigence  very  great.  For  my  own  part,  I  take  a 
different  view  of  the  subject.  I  do  not  consider  myself  poor, 
because  "  I  have  learned  in  all  things  to  be  content."  As  it  is 
not  abundance,  but  content,  which  makes  a  man  rich  ;  so  it  is 
not  poverty,  but  covetousness,  which  makes  a  man  indigent. 
He  who  covets  nothing  is  rich,  though  he  have  neither  gold 
nor  silver  ;  while  he  who  is  without  content  is  poor,  though  he 
possess  much. 

Since  then  this  holy  apostle  was  content  with  that  state  in 
which  he  found  himself,  it  is  clear  that  however  poor  he  might 
be,  he  was  not  in  indigence.  Although  there  may  be  but  a 
pint  of  oil  or  wine  in  a  vessel,  yet  is  that  vessel  full,  if  it  will 
contain  no  more  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  though  there  be  a 
gallon  in  it,  it  is  not  full  if  it  will  hold  more  than  it  has.  For 
it  is  by  its  capacity,  and  not  by  the  quantity  poured  into  it, 
that  we  judge  of  its  abundance  or  need.  It  is  the  same  with 
man.  If  he  has  enough  to  satisfy  the  desires  of  his  soul,  he 
has  great  riches,  however  small  his  capacities  may  be.  And 
if,  notwithstanding  all  that  a  man  has,  his  soul  remains  always 
empty,  if  he  is  continually  sighing  for  more  possessions,  even 
though  he  had  all  the  gold  of  Peru,  all  the  pearls  and  all  the 
delicacies  of  the  East,  yet  would  he  be  indigent  and  necessitous, 
and  the  more  he  desired,  the  greater  would  be  in  proportion 
his  poverty.  The  apostle  in  his  prison  had  but  bread  and 
water  for  his  food,  and  clothes  sufficient  to  cover  him.  I  ac- 
knowledge that  if  many  of  you  had  no  more,  you  would  be 
poor  indeed.  You,  whose  desires  are  infinite,  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  luxuries,  you  would  not  know  how  to  live  with  so 
little.  But  as  for  him,  he  was  rich,  because  with  this  little 
which  you  despise  he  had  all  that  he  required.  "  Having 
(says  he  in  another  place,  1  Tim.  vi.  8)  food  and  raiment,  let 
us  be  content."  Happy  apostle  !  who  could  be  satisfied  with 
so  little!  How  firm,  how  calm  is  thy  content,  because  thy 
desires  are  so  limited!  We  read  that  a  man  once  was  in  de- 
spair, because,  having  reckoned  his  accounts,  he  discovered 
57 


450  AN   EXPOSITION   OP  [SERM.   XXVIII. 

that  when  all  his  debts  were  paid,  there  would  only  remain  for 
him  a  hundred  thousand  crowns  ;  and  that  another  did  not 
consider  himself  rich  unless  he  had  enough  wherewith  to  feed 
and  clothe  a  royal  army. 

These,  however,  are  illusions,  or,  to  speak  more  properly, 
they  are  the  extremes  of  avarice  and  luxury.  Eeason  shows 
us  that  he  is  rich  who  has  need  of  nothing,  who  finds  his  home 
sufficient,  who  has  what  he  desires.  If  his  desires  are  just, 
and  limited  by  good  sense,  it  will  not  require  an  army,  or  a 
revenue  sufficient  to  support  one,  to  satisfy  his  wants.  It  was 
thus  the  apostle  was  fortified  against  discontent,  not  by  ac- 
quiring riches,  but  by  limiting  his  desires,  reducing  them  to 
so  small  a  compass,  and  mortifying  them  by  faith  and  medita- 
tion on  the  cross  of  his  Master,  and  by  the  continual  exercise 
of  fasting,  sobriety,  and  frugality,  that  at  length  they  ceased 
to  give  him  pain,  and  submitted  without  murmuring  to  the 
condition  in  which  they  happened  to  find  themselves.  And 
this  he  teaches  us  when  he  says  that  he  has  "  learned,  in  what- 
soever state  he  is,  therewith  to  be  content  ;"  that  is,  he  has 
come  to  this  by  long  experience  ;  for  he  does  not  mean  to  tell 
us  that  he  has  merely  learned  to  acknowledge  the  justice  of  this 
moderation,  either  in  the  book  or  by  the  revelation  of  God, 
but  rather  that  he  has  acquired  the  feeling,  by  the  crosses  in 
which  he  had  been  long  exercised  ;  living,  ever  since  his  con- 
version, in  the  midst  of  strifes,  of  imprisonments,  of  perils,  of 
tumults,  of  labours,  of  watchings,  of  fasting,  of  cold,  and  hunger, 
and  nakedness.  By  these  means  he  had  learned  to  be  content 
in  the  poorest  and  most  destitute  condition.  In  the  same 
manner,  (if  it  be  permitted  to  compare  the  disciple  with  his 
Lord,)  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  tells  us  that  "  Christ  learned 
obedience  by  the  things  that  he  suffered,"  Heb.  v.  8  ;  or  that 
the  continual  practice  of  such  things  had  rendered  them 
familiar. 

II.  In  the  following  verses  the  apostle  extends  and  separates 
into  parts  this  excellent  knowledge  which  he  had  acquired, 
of  being  satisfied  in  whatever  condition  he  might  be  :  "1  know 
how  to  be  abased,  and  I  know  how  to  abound  :  everywhere 
and  in  all  things  I  am  instructed  both  to  be  full  and  to  be 
hungry,  both  to  abound  and  to  suffer  need."  Human  life,  as 
experience  daily  shows  even  to  the  blindest,  is  but  a  vain 
shadow  which  changes  into  a  hundred  forms  ;  a  wheel  inces- 
santly turning,  raising  up  one,  depressing  another,  and  often 
causing  the  same  person  to  pass  through  various  states  and 
conditions.  We  behold  to-day  reduced  to  shame  and  ignominy, 
those  who,  but  yesterday,  were  flourishing  in  vain-glory.  We 
weep  over  the  poverty  of  such  as  were  formerly  in  abundance, 
and  some  that  we  are  pitying  to-day  may  to-morrow  excite  our 
envv.     The  mind  of  man  is  so  weak,  that  these  changes  in 


CHAP.   IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  451 

outward  circumstances  affect  it  also  ;  and  there  are  few  firm 
enough  to  continue  the  same  in  different  conditions.  Prospe- 
rity and  abundance  are  prone  to  elevate  and  puff  up  the  heart, 
while  adversity  and  poverty  depress  it.  The  first  render  us 
insolent  and  proud,  the  second  weak  and  feeble.  The  apostle 
here  declares  that  he  knows  how  to  support  either  condition  ; 
that  he  is  enabled  to  taste  abundance,  or  to  suffer  need,  and  so 
to  conduct  himself  that  neither  the  eclat  of  the  one,  nor  the 
pain  of  the  other,  could  ever  make  him  vary  ;  and  that  neither 
time  nor  occupation  could  take  this  moderation  from  him  ;  for 
"to  be  hungry,  and  to  suffer  need,"  signify  adversity  ;  and  "to 
be  full,  or  to  abound,"  signifies  the  opposite  state  of  prosperity. 
He  knows  "how  to  be  abased  and  how  to  hunger"  who  can 
sustain  necessity  and  adversity  with  a  humble  and  patient 
spirit,  acquiescing  meekly  in  the  will  of  God,  and  being  con- 
tented in  his  low  estate  without  murmuring  and  useless  regrets. 
And  although  this  virtue  may  be  difficult,  its  opposite  is  much 
more  so,  even  to  "know  how  to  abound  and  be  full:"  so  that  a 
man  who  has  riches  can  enjoy  them  soberly,  without  pride, 
without  vanity  ;  and  with  thankfulness,  bestowing  much  in 
charity,  without  spending  more  on  himself  than  is  necessary. 
Many  men  may  be  found  who  have  supported  poverty  and  dis- 
grace with  much  courage  and  patience.  But  there  are  few 
whose  minds  have  not  been  spoiled  by  abundance  and  prospe- 
rity. The  highest  degree  of  virtue  is  to  know  how  to  endure 
either;  to  have  a  mind  firm,  upright,  and  pure,  so  that  it  can 
sustain  the  threatenings  and  blows  of  evil  fortune,  (as  the 
world  says,)  and  the  caresses  and  favours  of  good  fortune, 
with  equanimity  and  calmness. 

The  apostle,  fearing  that  this  language,  whereby  he  attributes 
to  himself  such  rare  perfection,  might  appear  like  vain  boast- 
ing, corrects  and  modifies  it  by  saying,  "  I  can  do  all  things 
through  Christ  who  strengtheneth  me."  It  is  not,  he  would 
say,  the  strength  of  my  mind,  or  the  power  of  my  intellect, 
which  renders  me  capable  of  this  ;  it  is  Christ  who  gives  me 
power  :  of  myself  I  can  do  nothing  ;  but  in  him  I  can  do  all 
things.  He  speaks  in  the  same  manner  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Corinthians,  where,  having  said  that  he  had  laboured  more  than 
all  the  apostles,  he  immediately  adds,  "  yet  not  I,  but  the  grace 
of  God  which  was  with  me,"  1  Cor.  xv.  10. 

You  will  observe  that  the  "all  things"  of  which  he  speaks 
must  be  restricted  to  the  subject  under  consideration,  that  is 
to  say,  they  signify  such  as  God  should  call  him  to  ;  such  as 
he  had  to  do  or  suffer  in  the  course  of  his  vocation.  For  ex- 
ample :  Does  God  call  him  to  suffer  need  ?  He  is  assured 
that  he  shall  be  enabled  to  suffer  cheerfully.  Does  he  call  him 
to  abundance?  He  promises  that  he  will  enjoy  it  calmly. 
There  is  nothing  of  this  sort  that  he  cannot  do,  because  the 


452  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXVIII. 

Lord  who  strengthens  him  is  both  good  and  mighty.  And 
these  words  of  the  apostle  are  very  valuable.  For  they  teach 
us,  on  the  one  hand,  that  all  the  good  which  believers  can  do 
in  their  several  callings  is  owing  to  the  assistance  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  who  fortifies  them  ;  as  he  himself  also  said,  John  xv.  5, 
"  Without  me,"  or  out  of  me,  "ye  can  do  nothing."  And  this 
militates  against  the  presumption  of  Pelagians,  whether  ancient 
or  modern,  who  attribute  religion,  and  the  virtues  and  graces 
which  depend  upon  it,  to  the  power  of  nature  and  free-will. 
But  these  words  of  Paul  show  us,  on  the  other  hand,  that  be- 
lievers, who  in  themselves  can  do  nothing,  are  enabled  to  do 
all  things  in  the  Lord,  who  vouchsafes  to  manifest  his  power 
in  their  weakness.  Be  not  proud,  then,  O  christian  :  you  have 
nothing  good  in  yourself;  you  owe  all  to  the  grace  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Yet,  fear  not  !  weak  though  you  be,  you  can  do  all 
things  by  the  grace  of  that  divine  Saviour  who  strengthens 
you.  Trust  not  in  yourself,  but  expect  much  from  him. 
There  is  nothing,  however  small,  that  we  can  do  in  our  own 
strength  ;  or  however  great,  that  we  cannot  do  in  his. 

III.  Observe  then,  brethren,  how  exquisite  is  the  prudence 
of  the  apostle,  and  how  exactly  he  balances  his  expressions,  so 
as  to  lean  neither  to  one  side  nor  the  other.  So  far  he  has 
spoken  loftily  of  his  own  constancy,  lest  the  joy  he  had  ex- 
pressed at  the  receipt  of  the  present  sent  by  the  brethren 
should  have  given  them  reason  to  think  that  before  it  came  he 
had  been  bowed  down  by  necessity  and  distress.  Now  again, 
lest  the  strong  and  powerful  language  just  uttered  might  offend 
them,  as  though  he  despised  their  liberality,  he  endeavours  to 
eradicate  such  an  idea  from  their  mind  by  adding,  "  Neverthe- 
less ye  have  done  well  that  ye  did  communicate  with  my  af- 
fliction." Do  not  suppose  (he  would  say)  that  your  charity  is 
lost  or  ill  bestowed,  by  being  expended  upon  a  person  capable 
of  suffering  need  with  cheerfulness,  and  of  living  in  poverty 
without  murmuring.  That  which  I  have  said  respecting  the 
equanimity  of  my  own  mind,  was  said  solely  with  a  view  to 
show  you  how  we  should  submit  to  the  will  of  God  in  what- 
ever condition  he  may  place  us,  and  not  with  a  view  to  under- 
value your  charity.  I  esteem  it  greatly,  and  regard  it  with 
joy  as  a  good  and  holy  act. 

You  see  therefore,  brethren,  that  this  declaration  of  the  apos- 
tle was  necessary  in  order  to  show  the  Philippians  that  he  did 
not  contemn  their  present,  which  indeed  would  have  been 
proud  and  unchristian.  And  it  was  necessary  also  in  order  to 
give  no  pretext,  either  to  those  believers  or  others,  to  neglect 
such  as  were  in  affliction  from  the  idea  that  they  would  be 
given  grace  to  endure  their  misery  patiently.  It  is  not  for  us 
to  examine  curiously  how  far  others  may  be  distressed  by  their 
poverty.     If  God  strengthens  them  thus  far,  that  they  can  suf- 


CHAP.  IV.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  453 

fer  need  without  murmuring,  without  complaining,  we  may 
admire  their  virtue,  and  rejoice  in  it,  but  we  may  not  with- 
hold our  relief  on  that  account.  We  should  distribute  aid  to 
all  who  have  need,  but  more  especially  when  we  find  poverty 
conjoined  with  religion.  "We  can  never  be  better  employed 
than  in  the  service  of  such  as,  like  Paul,  "  know  how  to  be 
abased  and  how  to  abound,"  because  none  will  receive  assist- 
ance more  thankfully  and  religiously. 

The  apostle  speaks  very  highly  of  the  subscription  of  the 
Philippians,  saying  "  that  they  had  communicated  with  his 
affliction  ;"  as  though  by  sending  to  his  prison  they  had  been 
there  themselves  in  order  to  partake  of  his  trials.  We  can 
communicate  with  the  afflictions  of  believers  in  three  ways: 
First,  when  we  suffer  for  religion's  sake  the  same  distresses 
as  they.  Secondly,  when  we  compassionate  their  sufferings 
with  tenderness.  And,  thirdly,  when  we  console  and  relieve 
their  pains,  not  with  words  merely,  but  also  with  liberality  : 
and  it  is  of  this  last  way  that  the  apostle  speaks  in  this  place. 
The  truth  of  his  declaration  that  they  did  well  in  rendering 
hirn  this  duty  is  witnessed  throughout  the  scriptures  ;  for  al- 
though the  apostle  might  have  done  without  assistance,  yet 
in  bestowing  it  they  had  shown  at  once  their  charity  to- 
wards the  afflicted,  and  their  respect  towards  their  excellent 
master,  who  had  so  faithfully  instructed  them  in  the  way  of 
salvation. 

Such,  brethren,  is  the  view  I  take  of  the  subject  in  hand  this 
day.  Let  us  be  careful  to  imitate  the  beautiful  examples  of 
the  Philippians  and  of  Paul  here  set  before  us.  Let  the  flocks 
learn  from  the  former  to  assist  with  alacrity  the  necessities  of 
their  pastors  ;  let  pastors  learn  from  the  latter  to  receive  these 
sacred  donations  of  their  people  with  all  gratitude.  Above  all, 
let  us  endeavour  to  aid  and  instruct  one  another  in  that  most 
excellent  knowledge  of  which  the  apostle  speaks,  "  in  whatso- 
ever state  we  are,  to  be  therewith  content."  Ignorance  of  this 
secret  is  the  cause  of  the  greater  part  of  our  miseries.  This 
ignorance  is  the  parent  of  injustice  and  envy,  and  of  all  the 
evils  which  they  produce.  It  is  this  which  occasions  wars, 
trials  by  law,  and  continual  quarrels  in  the  world,  which  fills 
the  forests  and  high  roads  with  robbers,  the  sea  with  pirates, 
the  cities  with  rogues,  leaving  no  part  of  the  universe  in  safety. 
It  troubles  the  peace  of  states  and  the  repose  of  families;  it  ex- 
tinguishes friendship,  and  even  natural  affection.  It  raises  up 
enmity  between  brethren  ;  nay,  even  animates  children  against 
parents,  and  parents  against  their  children.  This  it  is  which 
forges  arms,  burnishes  swords,  invents  arts  for  sinful  purposes, 
and  goes  down,  as  it  were,  to  hell,  to  draw  thence  all  that  Sa- 
tan has  of  malice  and  wickedness.  What  formerly  changed 
the  peace  of  Israel  into  a  frightful  war,  in  which  a  son  was 


454  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.   XXVITI. 

armed  against  his  father,  Absalom  against  'David  ?  It  was  no- 
thing more  than  the  blindness  of  that  parricide,  who  was  dis- 
contented with  his  condition.  What  lighted  up  among  the 
Romans  that  fierce  civil  war  which  terminated  in  the  over- 
throw of  the  republic  ?  The  cupidity  of  two  men,  dissatisfied 
at  having,  the  one  an  equal,  the  other  a  superior.  And  if  you 
consider  the  various  events,  past  and  present,  which  have  trou- 
bled the  world,  the  church,  kingdoms,  or  families,  you  will 
see  that  they  all  spring  from  the  same  source,  that  men  are 
not  contented  with  their  condition.  The  universe  would  en- 
joy a  happy  and  settled  peace,  if  every  one  knew  with  Paul 
how  "  to  be  content  in  whatsoever  state  he  found  himself."  But 
though  the  world  may  remain  in  its  ignorance,  we,  at  least, 
dear  brethren,  to  whom  God  has  given  light,  and  to  whom  he 
presents  to-day  the  example  and  word  of  his  holy  apostle,  we 
should  come  out  of  so  vile,  so  pernicious  an  error.  Let  us  set 
a  bound  to  our  desires  ;  let  us  bear  rule  over  our  lusts  ;  let  us 
respect  the  order  of  divine  providence,  contenting  ourselves 
with  the  situation  in  which  that  has  placed  us,  and  with  the 
share  of  worldly  things  bestowed  upon  us,  receiving  from  the 
hand  of  God  with  profound  humility  the  allotment  he  appoints 
us  in  life.  And  here,  I  entreat  you,  do  not  allege  that  such 
moderation  is  only  befitting  an  apostle  ;  that  for  you,  who  have 
not  such  high  qualifications,  it  is  needless  so  to  regulate  your 
desires.  There  is  but  one  law  in  the  house  of  God,  and  unless 
you  submit  thereto  you  cannot  enter  into  his  happy  family. 
And  that  which  the  apostle  attributes  to  himself  in  this  place, 
he  commands  ■elsewhere  to  all  believers:  "Let  your  conversa- 
tion be  without  covetousness  :  be  content  with  such  things  as 
ye  have,"  Heb.  xiii.  5. 

Now  it  were  an  absurdity  to  be  willing  to  dispense  with 
being  happy  ;  and  yet  you  cannot  be  so  without  possessing 
this  moderation  of  mind.  It  is  not  only  in  accordance  with 
the  will  of  God,  but  it  is  also  necessary  for  your  peace. 
Whether  therefore  you  do  it  to  obey  your  Lord,  or  to  secure 
yourself  a  tranquil  and  happy  life,  diligently  study  this  lesson. 
Do  not  quit  it  until  you  have  learned  it  ;  until  you  know  how 
to  be  content  in  what  condition  soever  you  may  be  ;  until  you 
are  capable  of  supporting  calmly  abundance  or  scarcity,  riches 
or  need.  If  you  find  yourself  in  poverty,  remember  that  it  is 
not  so  extreme  as  that  in  which  Paul  was  when  prisoner  at 
Rome  in  the  chains  of  Nero.  What  should  hinder  you  from 
attaining  a  like  courage  with  him  ;  from  finding  the  same 
peace  which  that  holy  man  possessed  in  captivity?  He 
braved  poverty,  and,  notwithstanding  its  pressure,  boasted  of 
not  being  in  distress.  And  why  ?  Because  he  was  content  with 
what  he  had,  and  regulated  his  desires  according  to  his  actual 
need.     Do  then  as  he  did,  and  poverty  shall  have  no  power 


CHAP.   IV.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  455 

over  you,  even  as  it  had  none  over  him.  Your  body  is  not 
larger  than  his  ;  you  do  not  require  more  cloth  to  cover  it,  or 
more  food  to  nourish  it,  than  he  did.  The  little  which  sufficed 
for  him  may  suffice  for  you  likewise.  If  there  be  a  difference, 
it  must  arise  not  from  your  nature,  but  from  your  effeminacy; 
from  the  excess  of  your  lusts,  and  not  of  your  necessity.  Po- 
verty, to  say  the  truth,  only  inconveniences  the  ambitious,  the 
voluptuary,  the  effeminate.  It  is  no  evil  to  a  sober  and  tem- 
perate man,  who  knows  he  has  need  but  of  little,  and  for  only 
a  short  period.  What  did  I  say,  that  it  is  no  evil  ?  It  is  a 
positive  good  in  many  respects;  it  eradicates  from  the  heart 
many  vices,  which  spring  and  blossom  only  in  abundance.  It 
exempts  him  from  the  cares,  the  pains,  the  fears,  the  anxieties, 
the  vanities,  which  accompany  the  possession  of  riches.  It 
teaches  him  sobriety,  modesty,  humility.  It  renders  him  in- 
different to  the  world,  and  enables  us  to  despise  this  present 
life.  It  detaches  him  from  earth,  and  weakens  those  ties 
which  bind  others  to  it.  He  can  more  easily  quit  the  world  in 
which  he  possessed  nothing,  and  will  more  ardently  desire  that 
heaven  where  his  treasure  is.  Support  then  calmly  a  thing  so 
desirable.  Let  the  blessings  which  will  accrue  to  your  mind 
enable  you  to  bear  patiently  inconvenience  to  the  body.  Phi- 
losophize over  your  poverty,  rather  than  murmur  against  it. 
Consider  that  God,  the  sovereign  disposer  of  all  things,  sends 
it  to  you  in  order  to  detach  you  from  the  world,  and  win  you 
entirely  to  Jesus  Christ.  And  even  if  you  cannot  draw  any 
practical  inference  from  it,  yet  at  least  to  you  shall  be  the 
glory  of  obedience  to  the  will  of  God.  As  it  is  his  will,  be 
assured  it  is  right,  and  humbly  acquiesce  therein.  Repose 
tranquilly  in  his  providential  care,  for  he  has  said,  "  I  will 
never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee,"  Heb.  xiii.  5.  He  knows 
how  to  support  his  Elijahs  in  the  solitude  of  the  valleys  ;  his 
people  in  the  deserts  ;  he  can  multiply  the  oil  and  the  meal  to 
the  exact  measure  of  their  necessity.  Observe  how  he  sus- 
tained Paul  in  the  Roman  prison  ;  how,  besides  the  mere  ne- 
cessaries that  were  furnished  him  there,  he  caused  a  subscrip- 
tion to  be  sent  him  from  Philippi  in  Macedonia,  (a  place  dis- 
tant two  or  three  hundred  leagues,)  and  that  not  barely  to  sup- 
ply his  wants,  but  sufficient  to  minister  to  his  abundance. 
The  Lord's  heart  is  not  now  changed,  neither  is  his  hand.  He 
has  always  the  same  kindness  and  the  same  power  for  his  peo- 
ple. Be  assured  he  will  do  for  you  as  he  did  for  Paul,  if  you 
serve  him,  each  one  in  his  vocation,  as  Paul  did. 

If  it  should  happen  that  you  are  placed  in  the  middle  sta- 
tion beyond  the  reach  of  poverty,  remember  that  you  are  still 
more  bound  to  be  therewith  content.  Do  not  then  raise  your 
desires  yet  higher.  Continue  where  God  has  placed  you,  and 
remember  the  excellent  warning  which  the  apostle  elsewhere 


456  AN   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.    XXVIII. 

gives  us  :  "  They  that  will  be  rich  fall  into  temptation  and  a 
snare,  and  into  many  foolish  and  hurtful  lusts,  which  drown 
men  in  destruction  and  perdition,"  1  Tim.  vi.  9.  In  the  name 
of  God,  do  not  entangle  yourselves  with  these  embarrassments. 
What  more  can  you  require,  since  you  have  sufficient  to  sup- 
port nature?  As  that  is  in  reality  all  you  need,  so  it  should 
be  all  you  desire.  If  that  is  not  the  boundary  of  your  de- 
sires, they  will  have  none  at  all.  You  will  then  be  in  conti- 
nual excitement  ;  for  the  more  you  have,  the  more  you  will 
wish  for.  This  species  of  thirst  increases  by  gratification,  and 
if  once  you  give  yourselves  up  to  so  weak  and  foolish  a  pas- 
sion, nothing  will  arrest  your  troubles  but  death.  Your  labour 
and  success  will  always  fall  short  of  your  intention  ;  so  that 
what  you  possess  will  not  give  you  half  the  content  that  what 
you  possess  not  gives  you  of  discontent.  Consider  with  me 
the  life  of  a  covetous  man.  His  anxiety  and  trouble  are  with- 
out end.  As  those  who  are  mounting  a  ladder  no  sooner  put 
their  foot  upon  a  step  than  they  raise  themselves  up  in  order 
to  gain  a  higher,  so  a  covetous  man  never  ceases  to  mount, 
though  with  pain  and  disquiet  ;  the  termination  of  one  labour 
is  but  the  commencement  of  another.  And  frequently,  after 
all  his  anxieties  and  pains,  he  loses,  at  one  blow  and  in  one 
moment,  the  acquisition  of  many  years. 

But  it  is  not  enough  to  know  how  to  endure  poverty,  and 
be  content  with  mediocrity.  We  must  also  learn  to  endure 
abundance,  when  God  gives  it  to  us  ;  to  possess  it  with  sobri- 
ety and  temperance  ;  to  employ  it  for  the  good  of  the  church, 
and  the  relief  of  the  poor  ;  to  distribute  it  as  faithful  dispen- 
sers of  God's  gifts  ;  to  make  it  not  so  much  a  means  of  luxury 
as  of  charity  :  holding  it  by  the  grace  of  God,  and  being  at  all 
times  ready  to  yield  it  back  into  his  hand  whenever  he  shall 
be  pleased  to  take  it  ;  saying  with  Job,  "  The  Lord  gave,  the 
Lord  hath  taken  away  ;  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

Such,  brethren,  must  be  our  disposition  of  mind,  if  we 
would,  with  the  apostle,  be  instructed  as  well  how  to  abound 
as  how  to  suffer  need.  May  Jesus  Christ,  the  only  Author  of 
all  good,  without  whom  we  can  do  nothing,  so  strengthen  us 
by  his  grace,  that  we  may  be  enabled  to  do  these  and  all  other 
things  that  shall  redound  to  his  glory  and  to  our  salvation. 
Amen. 


CHAP.   IV.]  THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  457 

SERMON  XXIX. 

VERSES   15 — 19. 

Now,  ye  Philippians,  know  also,  that  in  the  beginning  of  the  gos- 
pel, when  I  departed  from  Macedonia,  no  church  communicated 
with  me  as  concerning  giving  and  receiving,  but  ye  only.  For 
even  in  Thessalonica  ye  sent  once  and  again  unto  my  necessity. 
Not  because  I  desire  a  gift  ;  but  I  desire  fruit  that  may  abound 
to  your  account.  But  I  have  all,  and  abound:  I  am  full,  hav- 
ing received  of  Epaphroditus  the  things  which  were  sent  from 
you,  an  odour  of  a  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well-pleas- 
ing to  God.  But  my  God  shall  supply  all  your  need  accord- 
ing to  his  riches  in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus. 

It  was  a  reproach  frequently  uttered  by  pagans  against  the 
early  christians,  that  they  had  no  sacrifices  in  their  religion  ; 
and  you  know,  my  brethren,  that  the  church  of  Eome  accuses 
us  now  of  the  same  fault.  Blessed  be  God  that  we  are  charged 
with  the  same  crime,  as  was  formerly  imputed  to  the  best  and 
first  disciples  of  our  Lord  !  This  conformity  is  honourable  to 
us,  and  shows  ven'  clearly  that  our  doctrines  and  theirs  are  the 
same.  And  as  this  accusation  is  common  to  us  and  to  them, 
let  us  give  the  same  answers  as  they  did,  saying  to  our  oppo- 
nents what  the  first  christians  said  to  the  pagans,  that  the  sa- 
crifices which  God  and  our  religion  demand  are  a  pure  mind,  a 
good  conscience,  a  sincere  belief;  *  that  prayers,  alms,  and  holy 
and  virtuous  actions  are  the  most  pleasing  victims  that  can  be 
immolated  before  the  Almighty .f  At  the  same  time  we  wil- 
lingly acknowledge  that  we  offer  to  him  do  propitiatory  sacri- 
fice for  the  atonement  of  our  sin  ;  because  this  would  be  a 
presumption  on  our  part  to  undertake  a  thing  which  requires 
infinite  merit  ;  and  it  would  be  also  an  insult  to  Jesus,  who, 
having  once  offered  himself  for  the  propitiation  of  our  sins,  is 
accused  of  insufficiency  by  our  reiterating  a  sacrifice. 

But  if  the  question  concerns  sacrifices  of  thanksgiving, 
never  has  any  religion  established  them  more  richly,  more 
magnificently,  than  ours;  for  while  under  Moses,  during  pa- 
ganism, or  among  our  adversaries,  sacrifices  can  only  be 
offered  by  certain  ministers,  there  is  no  man  among  us  who  is 
not  a  priest  to  offer  them,  Jesus  Christ  having  given  us  each 
this  dignity.  For  his  church  is  entire;  it  is  a  holy  nation,  a 
royal  priesthood.  And  while  with  others  there  are  certain 
exterior  acts  performed  at  particular  hours  and  in  particular 

*  Miuut.  inOctav.  fOrigea  contra  Celsum.  I.  8.  p.  400. 

58 


458  AN"   EXPOSITION    OF  [SERM.   XXIX. 

places,  denominated  sacrifices,  with  us  every  act  of  love  to 
God  and  charity  towards  our  neighbour  is  a  true  and  lawful 
sacrifice,  and  can  be  presented  to  the  Lord  in  all  places  and  at 
all  hours  without  limit.  Paul,  one  of  the  most  learned  and 
authorized  interpreters  of  our  religion,  teaches  us  these  truths 
in  many  parts  of  his  writings,  and  especially  in  this  that  we 
have  just  read,  and  which  I  propose,  if  the  Lord  will,  to  make 
the  subject  of  this  discourse. 

Before,  in  the  second  chapter  of  this  Epistle,  he  had  enrolled 
ministers  of  the  gospel  among  the  number  of  priests,  calling 
their  preaching  "  a  sacrifice,"  and  the  sufferings  by  which  it 
was  followed  the  "  sprinkling"  of  their  oblation.  Now  he 
extends  the  same  dignity  to  the  people,  and  honours  the  fruits 
of  their  benevolence  with  the  expression,  "  a  sacrifice  accept- 
able, well  pleasing  unto  God."  And  from  this  we  may  learn 
how  precious  before  God  and  his  saints  are  the  works  of  cha- 
rity and  love. 

Let  us  then  consider,  in  order  to  understand  it,  the  manner 
in  which  the  apostle  speaks  of  the  charity  of  the  Philippians, 
greatly  lauding  the  subscription  that  they  had  sent  him  by 
Epaphroditus.  He  had  begun  this  subject  in  the  preceding 
text,  declaring  that  their  care  of  him  was  very  gratifying,  not 
so  much  on  his  own  account,  as  he  had  learned  by  the  grace 
of  God  to  be  content  with  what  he  had,  and  suffer  poverty 
without  inconvenience;  but  on  account  of  the  goodness  and 
propriety  of  the  thing  itself,  which  being  built  on  the  right 
foundation,  bore  evidence  of  true  piety.  He  continues  to 
dwell  upon  the  same  subject  in  the  verses  you  have  heard,  and 
even  takes  the  Philippians  themselves  to  witness  the  truth  of 
what  he  had  said,  that  "  he  was  content  with  such  things  as  he 
had,"  without  soliciting  or  declining  the  gifts  of  those  whom 
he  had  served  ;  for  (says  he)  "  Ye  Philippians  know  also  that 
in  the  beginning  of  the  gospel,  when  I  departed  from  Macedo- 
nia, no  church  communicated  with  me  as  concerning  giving 
and  receiving,  but  ye  only.  For  even  in  Thessalonica  ye  sent 
once  and  again  unto  my  necessity."  He  immediately  however 
corrects  and  modifies  this  language,  lest  they  should  think  his 
feelings  low  and  earthly  :  "  Not  that  I  desire  a  gift  ;  but  I  de- 
sire fruit  that  may  abound  to  your  account."  And  hereupon 
he  concludes  the  subject,  rendering  to  Epaphroditus  the  praises 
due  to  his  fidelity,  and  to  the  Philippians  the  praises  due  to 
their  charity,  adding  a  promise  that  God  will  bless  them  : 
"But  I  have  all,  and  abound:  I  am  full,  having  received  of 
Epaphroditus  the  things  which  were  sent  from  you,  an  odour 
of  a  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well  pleasing  to  God. 
But  my  God  shall  supply  all  your  need  according  to  his  riches 
in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus." 

Thus  we  have  four  points  on  which  to  speak,  in  order,  by 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO    THE    PHILIPPIANS.  459 

God's  help,  to  give  you  an  entire  explanation  of  the  text. 
First,  the  conduct  of  the  Philippian  and  other  churches  to- 
wards Paul,  respecting  the  acknowledgment  of  his  ministry. 
Second,  the  feelings  and  intentions  with  which  Paul  desired 
and  received  these  duties  of  theirs.  Third,  the  especial  praise 
which  he  bestows  upon  the  subscription  which  Epaphroditus 
had  lately  brought  to  him  from  the  Philippian  church.  And 
fourth,  and  last,  the  promise  he  makes  them  of  the  reward 
and  blessing  from  God. 

I.  With  regard  to  the  first  of  these  subjects,  we  have  al- 
ready seen,  when  discoursing  upon  the  preceding  text,  that  al- 
though churches  are  obliged,  by  the  divine  command,  to  sup- 
ply their  pastors  with  all  things  necessary  for  the  support  of 
themselves  and  their  families,  yet  that  Paul  did  not  exact  this 
acknowledgment  from  any  of  the  flocks  which  he  had  either 
collected  or  instructed  by  his  preaching.  He  provided  for  his 
own  necessities  by  the  labour  of  his  hands,  choosing  rather  to 
submit  to  this  than  to  give,  at  the  commencement,  occasion  to 
the  adversaries  of  the  gospel  to  calumniate  his  ministry  ;  as 
though  he  exercised  it  in  order  to  draw  therefrom  some  carnal 
advantage.  It  is  true  that  if  believers,  touched  with  a  sense 
of  duty,  voluntarily  offered  him  assistance,  he  did  not  refuse 
to  accept  it,  whether  he  would  not  hurt  their  feelings,  or  whe- 
ther it  might  be  in  order  to  assist  such  as  were  in  need.  And 
this  conduct  of  his  clearly  proves  the  truth  of  what  he  had 
said  before,  that  he  had  learned  to  preserve  the  same  mind  in 
abundance  or  poverty  ;  either  to  do  without  these  lawful  re- 
sources when  they  failed,  or  to  receive  and  expend  them  libe- 
rally when  they  were  presented  to  him.  He  now  recalls  this 
to  the  Philippians'  memory,  mingling  with  the  praise  bestowed 
upon  them  the  recollection  of  their  former  charity  and  affec- 
tion towards  him:  "Ye  know,  0  Philippians,  that  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  gospel,  when  I  departed  from  Macedonia,  no 
church  communicated  with  me  as  concerning  giving  and  receiv- 
ing, but  ye  only." 

We  learn  from  the  book  of  Acts  that  Paul,  having  passed 
from  Asia  into  Europe  by  an  express  command  from  God, 
went  to  Macedonia,  and  there  preached  the  gospel  at  Philippi, 
at  Thessalonica,  and  at  Berea  ;  from  which  place  he  retired  to 
Athens.  It  is  of  this  period  that  he  speaks  when  he  says, 
"  the  beginning  of  the  gospel,"  meaning  when  first  he  preached 
in  those  places.  He  declares  then  that  during  all  that  time, 
until  the  fury  of  the  Jews  persecuting  him  from  city  to  city 
had  compelled  him  to  quit  Macedonia,  no  other  church  but 
theirs  had  communicated  with  him  on  the  subject  of  "giving 
and  receiving."  This  manner  of  speaking  is  remarkable,  and 
is  taken  from  the  custom  of  merchants,  who  are  in  the  habit 
of  writing  in  their  books  the  articles  they  have  sold  as  well 


460  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIX. 

as  those  they  have  received  from  them  with  whom  they  nego- 
ciate,  in  order  to  balance  the  whole,  when  they  would  take  ac- 
count, and  prove  themselves  even,  each  one  with  his  corres- 
pondent. The  apostle  presupposes  that  there  is  a  like  connec- 
tion between  a  pastor  and  his  flock,  by  which  the  one  party 
are  obliged  to  give  to  him  from  whom  they  receive,  so  as  to 
be  even  the  one  with  the  other.  In  this  mutual  négociation 
the  pastor  gives  the  gospel,  the  peace  of  God,  and  the  blessings 
of  life  eternal.  The  flock  in  return  give  such  things  as  are 
necessary  for  the  support  of  his  earthly  existence.  Thus  the 
pastor  bestows  heavenly  and  receives  earthly  things,  while  the 
flock  receive  heavenly  and  bestow  earthly  things.  And  this 
the  apostle  tells  us  in  another  place,  where  he  argues  the  sub- 
ject at  some  length  :  "  If  we  have  sown  unto  you  spiritual 
things,  is  it  a  great  thing  if  we  shall  reap  your  carnal  things?" 
1  Cor.  ix.  11.  And  from  this  it  appears  that  the  assist- 
ance which  churches  give  to  the  ministers  of  the  Lord  is 
an  act  of  justice,  and  not  purely  of  charity  ;  the  payment  of  a 
lawful  debt,  and  not  the  present  of  a  voluntary  offering. 
Judge  then  what  must  have  been,  not  the  ingratitude  merely, 
but  even  the  cruelty  and  injustice,  of  the  churches  of  whom 
Paul  here  speaks,  who  having  received  so  much  from  the  apos- 
tle, had  given  him  nothing  in  return  ;  remaining  not  simply 
in  arrears  to  him,  but  owins;  him  the  entire  whole.     This  o-reat 

7  O  O 

man  had  sowed  the  gospel,  even  eternal  life,  freely  among  them, 
and  had  given  them  with  a  liberal  hand  the  riches  of  the  king- 
dom of  God.  To  his  preaching  he  had  added  the  example  of 
his  life,  the  most  holy  and  devoted  that  could  possibly  be  ;  his 
sufferings,  his  dangers,  his  tears,  even  his  blood,  the  most  pre- 
cious thing  he  had.  Yet  these  people  had  received  blessings 
more  valuable  than  their  life  itself,  with  hearts  so  hard  as  to 
leave  in  necessity  the  man  to  whom  they  owed  so  much.  They 
permitted  that  hand  which  had  communicated  to  them  the 
bread  of  heaven  to  be  reduced  to  labour  like  a  mechanic,  be- 
cause they  had  not  furnished  him  even  with  a  small  part  of 
what  they  owed  ;  for  they  owed  him  everything,  and  he  re- 
quired but  little  for  the  supply  of  his  daily  wants,  few  men 
living  so  frugal  and  temperate  a  life  as  he.  But  observe,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  cheerfulness  and  mildness  of  the  apostle, 
who,  though  being  so  unworthily  treated,  yet  suffers  the  cruelty 
of  these  churches  without  complaining,  without  accusing  them, 
without  uttering  against  them  one  unkind  word  ;  for  this 
mention  of  them  is  not  in  unkindness.  It  is  the  subject  of  his 
discourse,  and  not  resentment,  which  prompts  him  thus  to 
speak,  as  much  to  prove  the  truth  of  his  assertion  respecting 
the  purity  and  innocence  of  his  conduct,  and  to  excuse  him- 
self for  having  several  times  accepted  the  liberality  of  the 
Philippians,  as  to  spur  on  the  charity  of  those  believers  ;  for 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  461 

that  charity  was  the  more  estimable  on  account  of  its  being  a 
rare  quality,  like  the  gratitude  of  the  poor  leper  in  the  gospel, 
who.  out  of  ten  that  had  been  cured  by  our  Lord,  alone  re- 
turned to  give  him  thanks.  Thus  the  ingratitude  of  other 
churches  gave  a  brilliancy  to  the  charity  of  the  Philippians. 

Among  all  the  flocks  who  were  infinitely  obliged  by  the 
preaching  of  the  apostle,  this  was  the  only  one  which  acquitted 
itself  of  this  duty.  The  Philippians  did  not  plead  the  exam- 
ple of  others  as  a  pretext  for  neglecting  the  right  course.  Not 
seeing  a  good  example  around  them,  they  resolved  to  be  more 
careful  in  assisting  the  apostle  on  that  very  account.  In  fact 
all  believers  in  Jesus  should  regard,  not  so  much  what  others 
do,  but  what  their  Master  commands,  what  religion  requires, 
what  charity  demands.  Reason  and  the  truths  of  God  are  the 
rules  in  this  school,  and  not  the  custom  of  men.  Misery  will 
be  his  lot  who  follows  a  multitude  to  do  evil.  Though  you 
had  the  whole  universe  for  your  guide  in  this  evil  way,  it 
would  conduct  you  down  to  perdition.  The  number  of  those 
whom  you  follow  will  not  diminish  your  anguish.  Remember 
that  the  Lord  will  judge  us  by  his  word,  and  not  by  the  errors 
of  the  world,  and  will  examine  our  conformity,  not  to  the 
customs  and  habits  of  other  men,  but  to  the  models  which  he 
has  given  us  in  his  gospel.  Do  not  allege  to  me  that  those 
whom  you  follow  call  themselves  "  the  church,"  that  they  are 
even  so  jealous  of  that  name  they  suffer  no  others  to  appro- 
priate it.  Let  them  do  as  they  please.  If  they  turn  from  that 
which  the  apostles  have  commanded,  they  must  not  be  imi- 
tated. They  who  had  failed  in  rendering  to  Paul  gratitude 
and  assistance  were  also  the  church,  they  honoured  themselves 
with  this  appellation,  and  yet  the  Philippians  are  praised  for 
not  having  followed  their  example.  Take  your  stand  at  the 
simple  word  of  God,  and  resolve  to  maintain  it  constantly  unto 
the  end  ;  and,  like  Noah  in  former  times,  rather  separate  your- 
self from  the  whole  world,  if  the  world  cast  aside  that  rule, 
than  follow  its  pernicious  example.  Say  as  Joshua  said,  "Al- 
though Israel  itself,  the  people  who  glory  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  should  altogether  abandon  the  service  of  the  Almighty  ; 
yet,  as  for  me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  him  for  ever," 
Josh.  xxiv.  15. 

But  I  return  to  these  generous  Philippians,  who,  in  the  gen- 
eral failure  of  other  churches,  alone  were  careful  of  their  duty. 
The  apostle,  to  enhance  the  praise  due  to  them,  adds,  that,  not 
satisfied  with  having  exercised  their  charity  toward  him  while 
he  was  with  them,  they  had  even  assisted  him  since  his  depar- 
ture from  their  city:  "For  even  at  Thessalonica  ye  sent  once 
and  again  to  my  necessity."  Thessalonica  was  the  chief  city 
or  capital  of  Macedonia.  Luke  relates  (Acts  xvii.)  that  the 
apostle  arrived  there  after  leaving  Philippi,  and  passing  through 


462  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIX. 

Amphipolis  and  Apollonia,  and  that  he  there  preached  the 
gospel  after  his  usual  custom  ;  the  two  Epistles  which  he  has 
left  us  addressed  to  the  church  of  the  Thessalonians  prove  that 
his  labour  was  not  bestowed  in  vain,  but  had  produced  much 
fruit.  And  although  that  church  was  much  praised  for  her 
faith,  and  her  patience,  and  her  constancy,  yet  it  is  very  evi- 
dent that  in  this  particular  she  forgot  her  duty  to  the  apostle, 
not  having  taken  care  to  provide  for  his  maintenance.  He,  in 
fact,  testifies  as  much  in  the  Second  Epistle  that  he  addressed 
to  the  Thessalonians.  For  although  he  utters  no  reproach 
either  to  them,  or  to  others  who  had  fallen  into  the  like  fault, 
yet  he  clearly  discovers  his  feelings,  when  he  recalls  to  their 
mind  that,  during  his  sojourn  among  them,  he  had  not  even 
eaten  his  bread  without  labouring  for  it  ;  "  travailing  (he  says) 
night  and  day,  that  we  might  not  be  chargeable  to  any  of  you," 
2  Thess.  iii.  8.  The  Philippians  then  having  learned  how  the 
apostle  was  situated,  in  order,  as  we  may  say,  to  hide  the 
shame  of  their  metropolitan  city,  sent  him  two  or  three  times 
voluntary  offerings.  Oh  how  generous  is  real  christian  love  !  It 
passed  the  boundaries  of  their  city  ;  it  followed  the  apostle, 
like  the  water  from  the  rock  in  the  desert,  and  accompanied 
the  servant  of  God  in  all  his  wanderings.  It  refreshed  and 
strengthened  him  in  Thessalonica  ;  it  passed  the  seas,  and  came 
to  his  assistance  even  in  Nero's  prison.  There  is  no  place  in- 
accessible to  the  love  of  these  believers.  They  do  not  allege 
that  Paul  was  no  longer  among  them;  that  they  had  main- 
tained him  during  his  sojourn  at  Philippi  ;  that  now  they 
had  their  own  pastors,  their  ordinary  ministers,  for  whom 
they  were  bound  to  provide;  that  it  was  reasonable  that 
they  who  enjoyed  the  ministry  of  the  apostle  should  be  careful 
to  provide  for  his  necessities  ;  that  Thessalonica  was  the  rich- 
est and  largest  city  of  the  province,  whereas  theirs  was  but  of 
an  inferior  grade.  They  neither  thought  nor  spoke  a  word 
like  this.  But  knowing  the  poverty  of  the  apostle,  they  de- 
spatched a  prompt  messenger  to  him,  to  furnish  him  with  all 
that  he  might  need.  Nor  were  they  satisfied  with  sending 
once.  Their  affection  is  too  sincere  to  exhaust  itself  in  a 
moment  ;  and  they  continue  their  liberality  according  to  the 
necessities  of  Paul. 

My  brethren,  this  charity  of  the  Philippians  is  perfect  and 
complete.  And  would  to  God  that  all  christian  churches 
would  follow  this  blessed  example.  We  should  then  no  longer 
see  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  various  places  languishing  and 
struggling  in  the  midst  of  distress,  because  the  charity  of  be- 
lievers, far  from  spreading  abroad,  like  that  of  the  Philippians, 
beyond  the  precincts  of  their  own  dwelling,  left  those  even 
who  laboured  among  them  without  assistance.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  we  should  no  more  behold  the  avarice,  and  the 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIAXS.  463 

ambition,  and  the  numerous  evils  that  we  now  see  among  min- 
isters of  the  gospel  who  have  been  rendered  rich  and  powerful 
by  the  imprudent  devotion  of  past  ages.  For  the  Philippians 
bartered  for  the  truth  with  their  pastors,  but  in  measure,  "  ac- 
cording to  their  need,"  says  the  apostle,  and  not  for  the  sake 
of  luxury.  I  acknowledge  that  congregations  ought  to  main- 
tain the  ministers  of  the  Lord,  and  I  do  not  deny  that  their 
maintenance  should  be  liberal,  not  merely  sufficient  to  keep 
them  from  want,  but  even  to  place  them  in  such  a  situation 
that  they  may  sustain  their  name  and  rank,  according  to  what 
Paul  says,  "that  the  bishop,"  that  is,  the  minister  of  the  gospel, 
"be  given  to  hospitality,"  1  Tim.  iii.  2,  and  this  cannot  be  the 
case  without  suitable  means  ;  but  still  I  say  it  is  right  to  be- 
ware of  luxury,  and  it  should  be  remembered  they  are  to  be 
servants  of  God  and  not  princes  of  this  world,  to  live  in  tem- 
perance and  frugality,  and  not  in  extravagance,  after  the  fash- 
ion of  the  great  and  powerful  in  the  world.  Their  true  dignity 
consists  in  the  lustre  of  christian  virtues,  and  not  in  the  splen- 
dor of  earthly  pomp  ;  in  the  holy  light  of  heaven,  and  not  in 
the  false  glare  of  earth.  And  if  you  ask  me  which  of  these 
two  extremes  is  the  most  dangerous  and  hurtful  to  the  church, 
poverty  or  riches  ;  I  answer,  the  latter  beyond  a  doubt.  In- 
deed it  has  been  frequently  remarked  that  ministers  were  gold, 
that  is  most  precious  and  excellent,  as  long  as  their  church  was 
of  earth,  that  is,  low  and  poor  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  be- 
came earth  as  soon  as  gold  and  riches  embellished  their  houses. 
And  another  saying  on  this  subject  is  not  less  true,  viz.,  that 
devotion  having  produced  wealth  to  the  church,  the  child  has 
at  length  devoured  the  mother  ;  so  much  is  it  easier  for  man 
to  support  poverty  than  riches,  and  to  stand  firm  against  the 
anxieties  of  penury  than  against  the  charms  and  luxuries  of 
wealth. 

II.  But  I  have  said  enough  on  this  head,  concerning  the  con- 
duct of  the  Philippian  and  other  churches  towards  Paul  in  this 
respect.  Let  us  then  advance  to  the  second  head,  wherein  he 
declares  in  what  manner  he  was  affected  by  it.  Certainly  some, 
seeing  how  much  he  felt  the  kindness  of  these  believers  to  him, 
might  almost  suppose  that  he  was  attached  greatly  to  his  own 
interests,  and  that  it  was  on  account  of  the  convenience  of 
their  supplies  that  he  so  highly  praised  their  liberality.  In 
order,  then,  to  forestall  this  unjust  suspicion,  he  adds,  in  the 
next  verse,  "  Not  that  I  desire  a  gift,  but  I  desire  fruit  that 
may  abound  to  your  account."  It  is  not  my  interest,  (says  he,) 
but  yours,  which  prompts  me  to  use  such  language  :  when  I 
receive  your  charity  so  cheerfully,  and  esteem  it  so  highly,  it 
is  not  because  of  the  gift  bestowed  upon  me,  but  because  of  the 
fruit  which  you  will  thereby  gather.  In  this  holy  barter,  I  rejoice 
in  your  advantage  rather  than  in  my  own  ;  in  the  prize  and 


46-1  AN   EXPOSITION"   OF  [SERM.  XXIX. 

tlie  crown  which  you  will  receive,  and  not  in  the  present  which 
3^ou  have  bestowed.  The  gifts  of  charity  yield  two  sorts  of 
fruit;  one  to  him  who  receives,  the  other  to  him  who  gives. 
The  first  is  the  use  which  he  to  whom  they  come  makes  of 
them,  whether  for  his  maintenance,  for  his  comfort,  or  even  for 
the  recreations  of  the  present  life.  The  second  testifies  the 
piety  of  him  who  gives,  and  are  the  marks  of  his  faith  and 
spiritual  life.  The  apostle  then  places  these  two  effects  of  the  Phi- 
lippians'  charity  in  opposition  to  each  other,  and  declares  that 
the  beauty  which  he  sought  and  found  therein  was  not  in  the 
gift  which  he  received,  though  that  was  most  useful  and  plea- 
sant to  him,  but  rather  the  abundant  fruit  that  those  believers 
would  gather  from  it  to  their  praise  and  happiness.  This  is 
what  he  intends  when  he  says  that  this  fruit  "will  abound  to 
their  account,"  that  is,  to  their  advantage  :  for,  making  use 
again  of  the  same  simile  as  he  had  done  before,  he  presupposes 
what  the  scriptures  elsewhere  teach,  that  God  has  made  a  sort 
of  contract  and  agreement  with  his  servants,  by  which  they 
are  obliged,  on  the  one  hand,  faithfully  to  employ  all  they  have 
to  his  glory  and  the  good  of  his  church  ;  and  he,  on  the  other 
side,  has  engaged  to  return  with  abundant  usury  all  that  they 
may  have  spent  in  his  service.  And  in  order  to  keep  an  exact 
account,  he  notes  all  their  actions  in  the  book  of  his  providence, 
(which  is,  as  it  were,  his  register,)  without  neglecting  a  single 
one.  There  all  the  alms  bestowed  on  the  poor  are  registered  ; 
all  the  acts  of  kindness  and  gratitude  rendered  to  the  ministers 
of  God,  all  visits  to  the  afflicted  or  the  prisoner:  not  a  work, 
whether  of  duty  or  of  love,  is  forgotten,  not  even  the  smallest 
glass  of  water  bestowed  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  And  when  the 
great  day  is  come  these  books  shall  be  opened,  and  then,  in 
the  assembled  presence  of  angels  and  men,  shall  be  allotted  to 
each  one  according  to  his  holy  deeds  done,  or  the  temporal 
evils  he  has  suffered  ;  and  that  wealth  that  was  lost  or  given  for 
the  sake  of  Christ  shall  be  returned  to  him  in  heavenly  and 
eternal  blessings. 

Teachers  of  human  merit,  pretend  not  to  draw  from  this  dis- 
course aught  in  favour  of  your  dogma.  It  is  in  mercy,  and 
not  in  justice,  that  God  has  made  this  treaty  with  believers. 
The  reward  which  he  will  give  will  show  the  greatness  of  his 
goodness,  and  not  the  merit  of  their  works  ;  the  truth  of  his 
promises,  not  the  value  of  their  deeds.  If  he  bestows  heaven 
upon  you  in  return  for  a  glass  of  water  which  you  have  given 
to  one  of  his  poor,  you  indeed  have  reason  to  adore  his  liber- 
ality, but  no  reason  to  boast  of  so  small  a  service.  This,  there- 
fore, I  forbid.  I  acknowledge  that  God  will  reward  believers  : 
I  only  deny  that  this  retribution  is  deserved,  or  due  to  their 
righteousness.  Why  would  you  exalt  your  own  praise  rather 
than  the  mercy  of  God  ?  I  know  that  he  keeps  a  reckoning  of 


CHAP.  IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  465 

all  the  good  we  do,  and  that  in  the  sequel  he  will  crown 
us  with  glory.  But  I  maintain  that  it  is  to  his  goodness  and 
not  our  own  that  we  are  indebted.  This,  then,  is  sufficient  to 
establish  and  confirm  the  apostle's  saying,  that  their  charity 
will  abound  to  their  account,  because  by  the  kindness  and  faith- 
fulness of  God  they  will  reap  eternal  life. 

It  appears,  then,  that  the  satisfaction  felt  by  Paul  at  the 
bounty  of  the  Philippians  was  natural  and  just.  For  as  it  is 
not  only  permitted  but  commanded  that  pastors  should  desire 
with  ardour,  and  behold  with  joy,  the  spiritual  fruit  reaped  by 
their  flocks,  who  is  there  that  does  not  see  that  the  apostle  had 
every  reason  to  rejoice  in  this  charity  of  his  Philippian  disci- 
ples, which  was  at  once  so  useful  and  so  advantageous  ?  It  is 
true  that  God  does  not  absolutely  forbid  us  to  seek  useful 
things  ;  and  that  a  man  may,  without  offending  God's  law,  re- 
joice when  delivered  from  necessity,  and  placed  in  better  cir- 
cumstances than  before,  by  the  munificence  of  others.  But  a 
generous  and  truly  christian  mind,  such  as  was  the  apostle's, 
regards  more  especially  the  interests  of  heavenly  things  ;  and 
therefore,  speaking  in  this  place  by  comparison,  he  does  not 
hesitate  to  say  that  he  sought  not  the  gifts,  but  the  fruit  of  the 
Philippians  abounding  to  their  account  ;  meaning  thereby  that 
the  joy  and  gratification  which  he  felt  in  his  own  relief  was  no- 
thing in  comparison  to  that  which  he  experienced  in  the  hap- 
piness and  welfare  of  these  believers  ;  for,  in  fact,  there  is  no 
proportion  between  these  two  fruits  of  charity,  that  which  he 
gathers  who  receives,  or  that  which  he  receives  who  gives. 
The  first  relieves  and  supports  a  mortal  and  terrestrial  life. 
The  second  acquires  thereby  a  celestial  and  eternal  one. 
Whatever  I  receive  from  you  I  consume  here  below  ;  but  the 
seed  you  thus  sow  for  yourselves  is  preserved  on  high  for  ever. 
The  assistance  of  the  Philippians  was  of  no  very  great  conse- 
quence to  the  apostle  ;  for  what  could  a  little  money  avail  to  a 
man  who  despised  life  and  death  ;  who  regarded  the  riches  and 
glory  of  the  world  as  dung  ;  who  crucified  the  flesh,  and  was 
satisfied  with  that  condition  in  which  he  found  himself,  how 
sad  soever  it  might  be  ?  All  the  gain  in  this  was  on  the  side 
of  the  Philippians,  who  from  this  charity  would  one  day  reap 
the  glory  and  praise  of  their  Lord.  And  it  is  on  this  account 
that  it  was  so  pleasing  to  the  apostle  ;  this  it  was  which  caused 
him  to  rejoice.  So  then  in  this  sense  it  is  permitted  to  a  pas- 
tor both  to  rejoice  over  the  gratitude,  and  weep  over  the  in- 
gratitude, of  his  flock  ;  on  their  account,  and  not  on  his  own  ; 
not  because  of  his  convenience  or  incovenience,  (ah,  God  for- 
bid that  so  low  and  mercenary  an  idea  should  enter  his  mind,) 
but  because  of  the  health  of  the  flock,  to  the  good  or  bad  state 
of  which  these  duties  bear  witness,  according  as  they  are  per- 
formed or  neglected.  And  this  concludes  the  remarks  I  have 
to  make  upon  the  second  part  of  my  text. 
59 


±G5  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SEEM.   XXIX. 

III.  The  last  two  verses  still  remain,  wherein  the  apostle  first 
acknowledges  the  receipt  of  the  last  supply  of  the  Philippians 
sent  to  him  at  Rome,  and  then  promises  to  them  a  reward  from 
God.  The  first  clause  is  couched  in  the  following  words  :  "  I 
have  all,  and  abound  :  I  am  full,  having  received  of  Epaphroditus 
the  things  that  were  sent  from  you,  an  odour  of  a  sweet  smell, 
a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well  pleasing  to  God."  He  owed  this  ac- 
knowledgment first  to  Epaphroditus,  who  was  desirous  that 
the  Philippians  should  know  that  he  had  faithfully  placed  in 
the  apostle's  hands  all  that  had  been  intrusted  to  him  by  them, 
to  prevent  any  suspicion  which  might  arise  of  failure  on  his 
part  ;  and  for  this  reason  he  says  expressly  that  he  had  received 
"  all,"  in  order  to  show  that  there  had  been  no  fraud.  And  we 
may  infer  from  this  expression,  what  is  indeed  very  probable, 
that  they  had  sent  a  list  and  catalogue  of  all  the  things  pre- 
sented by  them.  For  a  good  man,  and  especially  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  ought  to  have  a  care  of  his  reputation  even  in 
the  smallest  things  ;  witnessing  that  which  is  good,  not  only 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  but  also  in  that  of  men,  being  exceed- 
ingly careful  that  no  one  should  reproach  him,  as  the  apostle 
speaks  in  another  place  on  this  subject,  2  Cor.  viii.  20,  21.  But 
the  satisfaction  and  consolation  of  the  Philippians  also  demand- 
ed this  testimony  from  the  pen  of  Paul.  He  therefore  declares 
to  them  that  he  had  received  their  present  ;  and  to  heighten 
his  praises,  he  testifies  first  that  the  supply  sent  was  not  nar- 
row and  defective,  (like  the  alms  and  gifts  of  avaricious  peo- 
ple,) but  liberal  and  honest,  such  as  not  only  relieved  his  ne- 
cessity, but  even  placed  him  in  opulence.  "  I  am  full,  (says 
he,)  I  abound."  But  we  must  not  suppose  from  this  that  they 
had  sent  him  treasures,  gold  or  pearls,  for  no.  doubt  the  sum 
was  moderate.  But  mediocrity  was  sufficient  to  fill  a  soul 
formed  as  was  Paul's.  It  did  not  resemble  that  of  a  miser,  who 
would  not  be  satisfied  were  you  to  bestow  on  him  all  the  spoils 
of  the  Indies,  who  dies  of  hunger  in  the  midst  of  abundance, 
and,  like  the  grave,  never  says,  "  It  is  enough."  Such  a  soul 
as  this  must  be  always  empty,  and  always  panting  after  some 
new  prey  ;  such  a  soul  knows  not  how  to  be  full  and  satisfied. 
These  words  belong  only  to  Paul  and  his  true  disciples.  None 
but  they  can  say  in  truth,  "  I  am  full,"  because  their  desires 
are  bounded  and  their  wishes  regulated  according  to  their 
need. 

But  the  next  commendation  that  Paul  bestows  upon  the 
supply  of  the  Philippians  is  still  more  glorious  :  "I  have  re- 
ceived it  (says  he)  as  an  odour  of  a  sweet  smell,  a  sacrifice  ac- 
ceptable, well-pleasing  to  God."  Behold  how  he  exalts  their 
present  !  They  bestowed  it  upon  a  man  ;  he  takes  it  as  a  sac- 
rifice to  God.  What  can  we  desire  more  magnificent,  more 
glorious   than   this?  that   our   acts  of  charity  towards   men 


CHAP.   IV.]        THE    EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS  467 

should  be  made  a  part  of  the  worship  we  owe  to  God,  and 
should  be  as  so  many  sacred  oblations  which  he  is  pleased  to 
receive  at  our  hands,  taking  pleasure  in  them,  and  willingly 
accepting  them  as  a  sweet  and  agreeable  perfume  ?  This  mode 
of  speech  is  taken  from  the  custom  of  the  ancient  Jewish 
church  ;  and  it  is  frequently  said  in  scripture  of  the  offerings 
that  were  placed  upon  God's  altar,  that  they  were  "  an  odour 
of  appeasement,"  or,  as  it  is  in  the  Greek  version,  (which  the 
apostle  here  and  elsewhere  follows,)  "  an  odour  of  a  sweet 
smell."  And  such  language  accommodates  itself  the  better  to 
this  subject,  because,  in  fact,  the  greater  number  of  their  obla- 
tions, such  as  perfumes  and  the  burnt  flesh  of  immolated  vic- 
tims, did  give  out  an  odour  pleasing  to  the  senses.  It  is  not 
that  God  (properly  speaking)  is,  like  ourselves,  pleased  with  a 
sweet  smell,  and  annoyed  with  a  bad  one.  For,  as  you  very 
well  know,  the  nature  of  God  is  simple,  spiritual,  and  incom- 
prehensible, and  has  nothing  in  common  either  with  the  bodies 
or  senses  of  animals.  But  scripture,  accommodating  itself  to 
our  ideas,  ordinarily  employs  our  mode  of  expression,  in  order 
to  represent  to  our  minds  the  things  of  God  by  some  similitude  ; 
and  therefore  as  a  bad  smell  vexes  us,  and  an  agreeable  one 
delights  us,  it  declares  that  these  offerings  of  former  times  were 
to  God  an  "  odour  of  a  sweet  smell,"  to  signify  that  he  ap- 
proved of  and  would  willingly  receive  them.  Paul  very  ele- 
gantly applies  these  terms  to  such  things  under  the  New  Tes- 
tament which  have  succeeded  to  the  services  of  the  Old,  in 
order  to  show  us  that  God  now  took  pleasure  in  them,  the  law 
being  henceforward  abolished.  Thus,  speaking  of  the  sacrifice 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  body,  the  reality,  the  truth,  of 
those  sacrifices  of  the  Old  Testament,  he  says  that  he  was  "  an 
offering  and  a  sacrifice  to  God  for  a  sweet-smelling  savour," 
Eph.  v.  2.  And  here,  speaking  of  those  acts  of  charity  and 
beneficence  which  form  the  principal  features  of  evangelical 
worship,  and  take  the  place  of  the  ancient  carnal  services,  he 
says  likewise,  "an  odour  of  a  sweet  smell,"  which  he  immedi- 
ately explains  in  other  terms,  "a  sacrifice  acceptable,  well- 
pleasing  to  God."  And  in  the  same  sense  we  must  understand 
that  expression  which  we  read  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, 
chap.  xiii.  16:  the  apostle,  having  recommended  to  us  benefi- 
cence and  frequent  communion,  adds,  that  "  with  such  sacrifices 
God  is  well  pleased."  I  acknowledge  that  sacrifice  is  offered 
to  God,  that  it  is  a  service  pertaining  to  him  alone.  But  I  say 
also,  that  although  our  acts  of  charity  may  be  done  to  men, 
yet  if  we  exercise  that  charity  in  faith  and  for  the  love  of  God, 
and  according  to  his  commandment,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
they  are  offered  also  to  the  Lord.  Men  are,  as  it  were,  only 
the  altars  on  which  the  sacrifice  is  offered.  In  fact,  our  Saviour 
declares  that  he  receives  them  from  our  hands  as  though  they 


468  AN   EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIX. 

were  at  once  presented  to  his  sovereign  Majesty  :  "  For  verily 
I  say  unto  you,  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto  one  of  the 
least  of  these  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it  unto  me,"  Matt. 
xxv.  40.  And  that  such  works  are  "  as  a  sweet  smell,"  (as  saith 
the  apostle,)  and  "  agreeable  to  God,"  is  evident,  first,  because 
he  has  commanded  them  to  be  done  ;  secondly,  because  they 
are  as  representations  and  shadows  of  his  goodness  ;  thirdly, 
because  they  are  the  production  of  his  Spirit,  the  works  of  his 
hand  ;  and  lastly,  because  he  has  promised  to  crown  them  with 
favour  and  reward,  both  in  this  life  and  the  next. 

IV.  And  this  the  apostle  declares  finally  to  the  Philippians, 
in  order  to  encourage  them  more  and  more  in  well  doing  :  "  My 
God  (says  he)  shall  supply  all  your  need  according  to  his  riches 
in  glory  by  Christ  Jesus."  This  verse  has,  by  some,  been  un- 
derstood as  a  wish — as  a  prayer  made  to  God  by  the  apostle,  in 
behalf  of  the  Philippians,  like  unto  that  which  he  makes  else- 
where for  the  Corinthians  on  a  similar  occasion,  saying,  "  Now 
he  that  ministereth  seed  to  the  sower  both  minister  bread  for 
your  food,  arid  multiply  your  seed  sown,  and  increase  the  fruits 
of  your  righteousness,"  2  Cor.  ix.  10.  But  it  is  not  straining 
the  sense,  and  it  is  more  according  to  the  tenor  of  the  words, 
to  understand  it  as  a  promise  founded  upon  that  of  the  Saviour, 
who  declares  that  whosoever  shall  do  the  smallest  kindness  to 
one  of  his  servants  shall  in  no  wise  lose  his  reward.  He  calls 
the  Lord  his  God,  especially,  because  it  was  in  the  character 
of  his  servant  that  he  had  received  the  charitable  donations  of 
the  Philippians.  "  The  God  whom  I  serve,  and  to  whom  you 
have  offered  all  which  is  bestowed  on  me,  accepts  your  work, 
and  will  not  leave  unrewarded  the  service  you  have  rendered 
to  his  minister."  He  does  not  merely  promise  this  reward  in 
another  world,  where  we  shall  indeed  receive  it  in  full  ;  but  he 
assures  them  that  even  here  the  Lord  will  supply  "  all  their 
need."  Though  you  may  have  placed  yourselves  in  necessity 
(says  he)  in  order  to  relieve  mine,  yet  doubt  not  but  the  Lord 
will  provide,  and  will  fully  replace  to  your  account  what  you 
have  expended  in  succouring  me.  And  it  may  be  observed 
that  he  promises  to  relieve  their  necessity,  not  to  give  them 
opulence  and  the  means  of  luxury,  according  to  those  limits 
which  our  Lord  himself  placed  to  our  desires,  commanding  us 
to  ask  of  him,  not  greatness  and  abundance,  but  our  "  daily 
bread."  And  in  order  that  the  Philippians  may  expect  this 
mercy  from  the  Lord,  he  adds,  "  according  to  his  riches  ;" 
meaning  thereby  that  this  promise  would  be  easily  fulfilled  by 
him,  because  he  is  infinitely  rich.  The  following  words,  i.  e., 
"  in  glory,"  signify  gloriously,  powerfully,  magnificently,  and 
relate  to  the  manner  in  which  God  rewards  his  people  here 
below,  accomplishing  his  power  in  their  weakness,  and  preserv- 
ing them  by  superhuman  means.     His  last  words,  "  in  Jesus 


CHAP.  IV.]        THE   EPISTLE   TO   THE   PHILIPPIANS.  469 

Christ,"  show  us  that  the  Lord  Jesus  is  the  only  source  and 
cause  of  the  blessings  we  receive  from  God  ;  for  it  is  he  who, 
by  the  efficacy  of  his  cross,  has  opened  the  treasures  of  heaven, 
and  rendered  the  Father  propitious  and  favourable  towards  all 
who  seek  and  serve  him  in  truth. 

Such,  then,  believers,  is  the  praise  which  the  apostle  bestows 
on  the  love  of  the  Philippians,  and  the  reward  which  he  pro- 
mises them  both  in  this  world  and  the  next.  Having  their 
example  before  our  eyes,  let  us  carefully  imitate  it  all  the  days 
of  our  life,  employing  with  cheerfulness  all  that  we  have  in  the 
service  of  God's  sanctuary,  and  in  relieving  his  poor  people. 
Say  not  that  it  was  towards  Paul  that  the  Philippians  exer- 
cised their  charity,  and  that  it  was  no  wonder  they  were  liberal 
in  their  gifts  to  so  great  an  apostle.  He  whom  I  recommend 
to  you,  and  for  whom  I  demand  the  succour  of  your  alms,  is 
no  less  a  person  than  was  Paul.  He  is  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God,  the  Master  of  the  apostles,  the  King  of  angels.  Let 
not  your  eyes  deceive  themselves.  He  is  hidden  in  the  persons 
of  the  poor  whom  you  relieve.  It  is  he,  and  not  they,  whom 
you  nourish,  clothe,  assist  and  comfort.  He  it  is  who  receives 
your  benefits,  who  will  publish  and  acknowledge  them  here- 
after in  the  sight  of  heaven  and  earth.  Come,  (he  will  say,) 
come,  my  beloved,  enter  into  the  kingdom  which  is  prepared 
for  you  :  for  I  was  hungry,  and  you  fed  me  ;  I  was  thirsty,  and 
you  gave  me  to  drink  ;  1  was  a  stranger,  and  you  received  me  ; 
I  was  naked,  and  you  clothed  me  ;  I  was  sick,  and  you  visited 
me  ;  I  was  in  prison,  and  you  came  to  me.  Christian,  how 
have  you  the  heart  to  refuse  your  charity  to  so  great  a  King  ? 
You  think  that  if  Paul  were  here,  you  would  esteem  it  an 
honour  to  give  to  such  a  man,  and  how  is  it  you  are  straitened 
towards  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  Master  of  Paul  ?  If  you  like  to 
oblige  the  great,  who  in  this  world  is  so  great  as  the  Son  of 
God  ?  If  you  wish  your  charity  should  be  known  and  praised, 
what  more  glorious  praise  could  you  desire  or  expect  than 
that  which  he  will  give  from  his  own  lips  before  the  assembled 
universe? 

Remember  the  sacerdotal  dignity  to  which  he  has  raised 
you.  You  are  his  priest,  and  one  of  the  principal  sacrifices 
which  he  demands  from  you  is  beneficence.  There  is  no  other 
whose  odour  is  so  sweet  to  the  God  whom  you  serve.  Oh, 
wonderful  goodness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  !  He  has  instituted  a 
worship  by  which  we  acquit  ourselves  at  once  of  our  duty 
towards  God  and  towards  men.  If  the  misery  of  the  poor 
does  not  affect  us  with  compassion  ;  if  that  nature  which  they 
have  in  common  with  ourselves,  and  which  has  often  moved 
the  most  barbarous  people  and  the  most  ignorant  of  God,  does 
not  touch  us  ;  if  their  tears,  their  prayers,  their  entreaties, 
capable  of  melting  marble,  do  not  soften  us  ;  at  least,  dear 


470  AN    EXPOSITION   OF  [SERM.  XXIX 

brethren,  let  the  majesty  of  our  God,  let  the  love  and  honour 
which  are  due  to  him,  induce  us  to  perform  these  duties.  It  is 
thus  (says  he)  that  I  will  be  served.  The  sacrifice  I  demand 
from  you  is  that  you  do  good  to  your  fellow  creatures.  This 
is  the  best  and  most  acceptable  sacrifice  which  you  can  pre- 
sent unto  me.  It  is  to  offer  me  this  that  I  have  filled  your 
hands,  that  I  have  made  you  my  priests,  slaves  of  devils  as 
you  were.  It  is  for  this  that  I  have  given  you  the  riches  and 
goods  which  you  possess,  not  to  bury  them  in  the  earth,  or 
lock  them  up  in  your  coffers,  but  to  adorn  my  altars,  the  poor 
members  of  my  Son,  the  true  altars  of  my  divinity  ;  not  to 
waste  them  in  luxury  and  vanity,  but  to  sanctify  them  for  the 
use  of  the  church,  which  is  my  temple. 

But,  miserable  creatures  that  we  are!  instead  of  listening  to 
the  voice  of  God,  we  deny  to  our  riches  the  honour  which  God 
would  put  upon  them,  and  instead  of  consecrating  them  to  his 
service,  we  abuse  and  profane  them  by  vanity  and  folly,  not  to 
say  by  injustice  and  vice.  With  them  we  adorn  our  wails,  we 
carpet  our  floors  of  wood  or  stone;  but  we  clothe  not  men. 
"We  deck  our  horses  and  carriages  with  ornaments,  while  we 
leave  our  brethren  in  rags  and  filth.  We  feed  and  fatten  buf- 
foons and  wicked  wretches  on  that  which  was  given  us  in  order 
to  console  the  saints.  We  sacrifice  the  victims  that  bêlons;  to 
God  in  gaming  and  voluptuousness.  A  single  feast  swallows 
up  sometimes  as  much  as  would  have  sufficed  to  feed  all  the 
poor  in  this  church  for  a  year.  But  besides  the  sacrifice,  there 
is  an  inconceivable  folly  in  this  use  of  riches  ;  for  of  all  that 
these  vices  and  vanities  cost  us,  nothing  brings  us  satisfaction. 
On  the  contrary,  while  God  is  offended,  men  ridicule  or  mur- 
mur at  it.  Whereas,  were  we  to  employ  our  riches  in  alms, 
the  poor  would  receive  benefit,  and  bless  us  ;  our  consciences 
would  not  reproach  us;  other  men  would  praise  us;  none 
would  envy  us  the  abundance  of  which  we  made  so  good  a 
use  ;  and  more  than  all,  the  God  of  Paul  and  of  the  poor 
would  assist  us,  and  by  the  power  of  his  grace  would  supply 
all  our  wants,  guard  us  from  every  loss,  and  augment  our 
yearly  revenue.  He  promises  us  this  in  a  thousand  places,  yet 
nevertheless,  we  are  unable  to  trust  him.  We  consider  what 
we  lend  him  as  lost.  Oh,  wonderful  unbelief!  We  can  trust 
the  elements  ;  we  hazard  our  goods  upon  the  sea,  we  leave 
them  to  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves,  which  are  changing 
every  hour.  We  trust  them  to  men,  who  are  still  more  vari- 
able and  faithless  than  the  elements  ;  and  all  the  shipwrecks 
and  failures  of  which  we  read  cannot  cure  us  of  this  fatuity. 
There  is  none  but  God  who  never  deceives,  who  is  at  all  times 
faithful  and  unchangeable,  and  yet  he  is  the  only  Being  we  find 
difficulty  in  trusting. 

Dear  brethren,  let  us  change  our  dispositions  henceforward. 


CHAP.   IV.]         THE   EPISTLE   TO    THE   PHILIPPIANS.  471 

and  after  the  numerous  infidelities  that  we  have  experienced 
from  men  and  nature,  let  us  place  our  goods  entirely  at  the 
disposal  of  God.  Let  us  lend  him,  or  rather  let  us  return  him, 
all  that  he  has  given  to  us,  and  assure  ourselves  it  cannot  be 
more  profitably  employed.  It  is  the  only  means  of  enriching 
ourselves  without  risk.  If  you  keep  your  riches,  you  will  lose 
them;  if  you  distribute  them  to  the  poor,  you  will  augment 
them.  If  then  the  consideration  of  our  profit  cannot  influence 
us  to  this,  at  least  let  the  dread  and  horror  of  ruin  oblige  us. 
For  as  we  said  that  he  who  gives  obtains  more  fruit  from  his 
charity  than  he  who  receives,  so  we  now  say  that  he  who  does 
not  give  loses  much  more  than  he  to  whom  he  refuses  his  cha- 
rity. The  one  loses  nothing  but  food  or  clothing  for  mortal 
flesh,  which  the  worms  will  soon  destroy  ;  the  other  loses 
thereby  an  infinite  good,  even  life  and  eternal  glory.  For  it 
is  of  no  use  to  deceive  ourselves.  God  will  crown  benevolence 
with  immortality  ;  so  also  will  he  punish  avarice  with  eternal 
death.  You  well  know  what  was  the  end  of  the  rich  man  in 
the  gospel.  Such  as  imitate  his  example  may  well  fear  his 
punishment.  You  have  no  compassion  on  others.  God  will 
have  no  pity  on  you.  You  shut  your  house  against  them.  He 
will  banish  you  from  his.  You  refuse  to  give  them  bread. 
He  will  refuse  to  give  you  his,  even  the  bread  of  life,  without 
which  you  must  eternally  die. 

God  keep  us,  beloved  brethren,  from  this  dreadful  evil  ;  and, 
in  order  to  avoid  it,  let  us  enlarge  our  bowels  of  compassion 
towards  others  ;  so  that,  after  having  here  below  presented  to 
the  Lord  these  acceptable  sacrifices,  he  may  hereafter  place  on 
our  heads  that  glorious  crown  of  life,  reserved  in  heaven  and 
promised  to  all  such  as  serve  him  in  the  faith  of  his  Son  Jesus 
Christ  ;  to  whom,  with  himself,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  one  God, 
blessed  for  ever,  be  honour,  praise,  and  glory,  world  without 
end.     Amen. 

20.  Now  unto  God  and  our  Father  be  glory  for  ever  and  ever. 
Amen. 

21.  Salute  every  saint  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  brethren  which  are 
with  me  greet  you. 

22.  All  the  saints  salute  you,  chiefly  they  that  are  of  Cœsar's 
household. 

23.  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all. 
Amen. 


GENEEAL  INDEX. 


Actions  of  God  on  his  creatures,  twofold,  . 
Advice  of  the  Stoics  to  their  disciples,    . 
Advocates  of  God's  cause,  a  glorious  title,  . 
Affection  and  zeal  of  the  Philippians, 

we  should  imitate  this,  .... 

Afflictions,  Paul's  tranquillity  in,     . 

reasons  for  God's  children  being  visited  by, 
not  necessarily  the  marks  of  God 's  displeasure. 
Aim  of  a  christian  should  be  to  magnify  the  Lord  Jesus, 
'AKcpaiot,  meaning  fourfold,       .... 
Apostle,  meaning  of  the  word,     .         .        . 

in  what  sense  applied  to  Epaphroditus, 
Armour  requisite  for  the  christian  warfare  is  that  of  faith 
Assistance,  mutual,  necessary,  .... 

Assurance  which  Paul  had  of  his  own  safety, 

of  believers,  .... 
Believers,  their  conflict,    .  ... 

faith  the  weapon  of, 
one  of  their  greatest  consolations, 
persecution  of  them  not  fortuitous, 
effect  of  the  grace  of  God  in, 
"  lights  in  the  world," 
dignity  of,  . 

victims  and  priests  of  the  Lord, 
their  life  compared  to  a  race, 
duty  of  perfect, 
in  what  sense  termed  perfect, 
citizens  of  heaven,  . 
their  home  in  heaven, 
should  follow  after  all  holiness, 
Birth,  we  contribute  nothing  to  the  work  of  our  new, 
Bishop,  scriptural  meaning  of  the  word,    . 

Jerome's  observation  on  the  word,  . 
and  presbyter  by  right  equal, 
Bodies,  our  vile  ones  changed  into  glorious, 
Boldness  of  the  apostle,  in  what  it  consisted,    . 
Bonds  for  Christ  honourable,       .... 

advantages  resulting  from  Paul's, 
Charity,  mainly  consists  in  the  exercise  of  two  duties, 

its  gifts  yield  two  sorts  of  fruit,  . 
Christ,  the  depositary  of  the  Spirit,     . 
60 


206 

185 

58 

34 

35 

65 

266-270 

271 

74 

218 

264 

265 

109,  263 

72 

65,  73, 192 

74,  111 

107 

107, 110 

113, 114 

123 

196 

225 

224,  463 

.  236,  241 

351 

359 

359,  362 

386 

389 

99-105,  440 

200-208 

18 

ib. 

ib. 

386 

70 

35 

48,  53 

444-446 

464 

72 

(473) 


474 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Christ,  impossible  to  magnify  him  in  the  miud  whilst  he  is  dishonoured 
in  the  body, 

gain  inestimable  in,     ...... 

union  necessary  in  the  church  of,      . 

the  cause  and  source  of  all  the  grace  God  gives  us, 

consolation  found  in, 

truly  God, 

consubstantial  with  the  Father, 

distinct  in  person  from  the  Father, 

wherein  consisted  the  humiliation  of, 

left  us  an  ensample, 

the  day  of,      ......         . 

the  Ruler  of  the  universe,     .... 

Sovereign  and  Head  of  the  church,  .        . 

his  human  nature  not  omnipresent, 
Christian  religion,  design  of  the,  .... 

armour,  ....... 

piety,  self-denying, 

Christians,  in  what  sense  called  the  circumcision, 

the  joy  of, 

to  rejoice,  the  duty  of,    .... 
their  rejoicing  should  be  "  in  the  Lord," 

Christians,  moderation  of, 

their  holy  and  assured  safety,      .         .         . 
prayer,  the  duty  and  privilege  of,    . 
the  divine  peace  of,   . 
Church,  its  prayers  powerful 

union  necessary  in  Christ's,     .... 

its  good  should  be  one  of  our  chiefest  desires, 

in  what  its  happiness  consists,  *      .        . 

mixed  with,  yet  separate  from,  the  world,    . 

its  dominion,  spiritual,    ..... 

its  Head  and  Sovereign,  Christ, 

of  Rome,  opposed  to  the  Scriptures.     See  letter 
Churches  commanded  to  support  their  pastors, 
Circumcision,  in  what  sense  christians  are  called  the    . 
City  of  the  believer  is  in  heaven,      .... 
Comfort  of  love,  ...•-.. 

Commendation,  when  proper,  .... 

Communion,  effects  produced  in  those  who  truly  participate  in 
Concision,  meaning  of  the  word,     .... 

Concord,  christian 

Conflict  of  believers, 

Consolation  of  a  christian  in  the  providence  of  God,    . 

found  in  Christ, 

Contarin  on  justification  quoted,         .... 
Contentment  of  Paul,  and  its  grounds,     . 
Conversation  worthy  of  the  gospel,       .... 
Conversion,  God  the  sole  author  of,  ... 

Counterfeits  in  the  church  of  God,      .... 
Course  of  a  believer  compared  to  a  race, 
Danger  of  departing  from  the  discipline  and  language  of 

Day  of  Christ, 

Deacons,  meaning  of  the  term,   ..... 
Death,  fear  of, 

does  not  destroy  the  soul,        .... 

not  a  subject  of  mourning  to  a  believer, 

deliverance  from  it  requires  two  things,    . 

ours  should  be  consecrated  to  God, 


R. 


the  apos 


the, 


les 


148, 


74 
75-80 
109 
115 
131 
156 
151 
152 
157 
180 
231 
247 
388 
393 
129 

110,  263 
402 
290 
417 
ib. 
418 
423 
425 
426 

428-430 
72 
109 
135 
ib. 
222 
385 
388 

445,  453 
290 
388 
131 

182 


26 


286 

137 

107-110 

113 

131-135 

331 

449-451 

99-104 

200-208 

219 

351 

18 

-29,  231 

18 

81 

87 

97 

194-196 

241 


GENERAL    INDEX. 


475 


PAOE 

Defenders  of  God's  cause,  a  glorious  title, 58 

Delight  of  ministers  to  see  God's  cause  prosper  iu  their  hands,  .     103,  10-i 

Deliverance  of  the  apostle,  its  objects  and  effects  twofold,     ...  94 

Dignity  of  believers, 463 

Dilemma  of  Paul, 86 

Disinterestedness  of  true  religion,     • 143 

Discontent,  evil  of, 453 

Do,"  "  to  will  and  to, 196-200 

Dog,  meaning  of  the  word,  .......        284,285 

Duties  relative  between  pastors  and  their  flock  of  "  giving  aud  receiving,"     459 
Empire  of  the  universe  ascribed  to  Christ,  ......        247 

End,  two  acceptations  of  the  word, 379,  380 

'Evtpyctv,  force  of  the  word, 200 

Envy,  to  preach  Christ  sometimes  excites, 59 

Epaphroditus,  titles  of, 263,  264 

in  what  sense  an  apostle,    ......  265 

Paul's  fellow  soldier, 263 

sickness  of, 265 

cure  of, 270 

his  love  to  his  flock, 272 

Paul's  commendation  of,        .....  273 

'Enbceiv,  signification  of  the  word, 225 

Epistles  of  Paul  to  be  read  by  all, 17 

Euodias, 407 

Exaltation  of  Christ,  connection  between  the  voluntary  humiliation 

and, 164-168 

wherein  consists  the,  .         .        .         .         169,  174 

Example,  of  Paul,  with  regard  to  an  assured  hope,    ....        66,  73 

Christ  the  best, 180 

Examples,  efficacy  of, 64-66 

Expectation,"  "  earnest, 67 

Experience  worketh  hope, 70 

Eye-service  condemned, 185 

Faith,  the  weapon  of  our  warfare, 107 

our  shield, 110 

the  gift  of  God, 115 

the  objects  of, 116-118 

not  given  because  good  use  of  it  is  foreseen,  .        .        .         .  117 

a  peculiar,  distinguishing  gift, 119 

u  sacrifice  of  your," 236-239 

word  of  God,  the  only  infallible  rule  of,     .        .        .        .         288-290 

False  teachers,  appellations  given  to, 284-289 

marks  of, 378-383 

"  Fear  and  trembling,"   .  189-194 

Fellowship  in  the  gospel, 20-24 

which  the  Philippians  had  with  Paul  in  his  bonds,   .         .  33 

of  the  Spirit, 131 

of  Christ's  suffering, 335 

Fellow-soldier,  Epaphroditus  Paul's,  263 

"  Finally,"  force  of  the  word 281 

Flesh,  difference  between  living  according  to  and  living  in  the,  .  83 

"no  confidence  in  the,"  296-300 

Free-will,  Bernard's  observation  on,  189 

errors  respecting  this  doctrine  examined,  and  objections  an- 
swered          188-191 

Fruits  to  be  deduced  from  the  deliverances  God  gives  his  servants,   .  94 

Funerals  of  their  dead,  some  nations  rejoice  at  the,  ...  96 

Future  events  depend  upon  God,     .......  246 

Gain,  inestimable  in  Christ, 75-79 


476 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Gain,  found  in  Christ, 

Giving  and  receiving,  duties  relative  between  pastors  and  their  flocks 

Glorification  of  the  body, 

God,  the,  of  peace, 

Good,  all  things  work  together  for  the  believer's,     . 

"  Good  work," 

Gospel,  the,  fellowship  of, 

conversation  worthy  of,     ..... 

its  superiority  to  the  law, 

Grace,  and  peace, 

growth  of  grace  in  the  new  man  gradual  and  progres- 
sive,         25,  105, 

Paul  calls  a  prison  for  Christ  a, 

of  congruity  unscriptural, 

of  faith  not  given  because  good  use  of  it  is  foreseen, 

of  God,  its  effects  in  believers, 

Gratitude  due  to  ministers, 

Greek  games  referred  to, 

Gregory  Nazianzen  quoted,     .  

Holiness,  reasons  constraining  believers  to 

Human  nature  of  Christ,  not  omnipresent,        .... 

Humility,  nature  of  true, 

the  true  road  to  glory, 

effects  of  true, 

Humiliation  of  Christ,  in  what  it  consisted,      .... 

Immortality  of  the  soul,      ........ 

Inability  of  man,     ......... 

Inoffensive,  not  sufficient  to  be  merely,         ..... 

Insensibility  to  suffering, 

Intentions  as  well  as  actions  must  be  good,  ..... 

Invocation  of  saints  unscriptural 

Irresolution  of  Paul,    ......... 

Jesus  Christ,  the  medium  of  all  our  blessings 

the  fruits  of  righteousness  are  by,   .... 

Divine  nature  of, 

in  the  form  of  God, 

equal  with  God,  ...... 

truly  God,  in  contradiction  to  the  Arians  and  Socinians, 
in  the  form  of  a  servant,     ..... 

made  in  the  likeness  of  man,   .... 

humbled  himself, 

excellency  of  the  knowledge  of, 
his  human  nature  not  omnipresent, 

Joy  of  Paul, 

Justification,  ......... 

Karé\a0ov,  force  of  the  word, 

Karepyâscadai,  signification  of,  ...... 

Knowledge,  connection  between  love  and,  .... 

of  what  kind  the  apostle  speaks,  .... 

of  a  christian,  practical,  .... 

produces  purity,  ....... 

excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  Jesus, 

Labour,  without  pride, 

Law,  superiority  of  the  gospel  to  the,  .... 

Atironpyi'o,  remarks  on  the  word,      ...... 

Liberty  of  man,  wherein  it  consists, 

Life,  distinguished  from  salvation, 

ours  to  be  consecrated  to  God,     .                ... 
to  come, 


PAGE 

337 

460 
395-399 

438 

63.  70 

25 

20 

99 

163 
19 

179,  356 
34 

117,  207 

117 

196 

235 

340-352 

356 

219 

393 

141,  159 

178 

190 

157-161 

87 

187 

44 

271 

62 

73, 267 

86 

19 

47 

150 

ib. 

ib. 

150-154 

154 

154-158 

154-162 

313-319 

393 

281 

335 

343 

186 

40 

41 

42 

43 

313-319 

192 

163 

•      237 

203 

186 

239 

386 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


477 


"  Lights  in  the  world," 

Limbo,  observations  respecting,       .... 
Love,  of  pastors  to  their  flocks  in  Christ  Jesus,   . 

the  highest  perfection  of  the  christian  character, 
connection  between  knowledge  and,    . 
generous  nature  of  real  christian,    . 
Luke  warm  ness  condemned,  .... 

Man's  inability, 

sin  the  cause  of  his  perdition,    ... 
salvation  referable  to  the  good  pleasure  of  God, 
Marks  of  the  children  of  God,      .... 
Marriage  of  the  clergy  allowable,    .... 
Martyr,  not  the  suffering,  but  the  cause,  makes  the, 

their  interments, 

Martyrdom,  a  gift  of  the  grace  of  God, 

Paul's  readiness  for,       .... 

Means,  "  if  by  any  means,"  .... 

Meekness  commended,     ...... 

Memory  of  excellent  persons  to  be  preserved, 
Mepipvfiaci,  force  of  the  word,    ..... 

Merit,  none  in  the  good  works  of  believers, 

Mind,  of  which  Paul  speaks, 

Ministers,  delight  in  seeing  God's  word  prosper  in  their  hands 
union  between  churches  and,   .... 
judgment  and  tenderness  required  in,  . 
to  be  supported  by  their  churches, 
should  receive  gratefully  the  donations  of  their 
should  be  careful  of  their  reputations,  even  in  the 
things,       ..... 
Moral  suasion,  in  conversion  God  uses  something  more  than 

Murmuring,  remedies  against, 

Nature,  the  power  of  our,       .... 
Nero's  palace,  scene  of  gospel  triumphs, 
New  birth,  God  the  sole  author  of  the,    . 
Oath,  an,  not  forbidden  to  christians,  . 
Obedience,  of  Christ  as  man,  .... 
of  the  Philippiaus,  praiseworthy, 
blind,  of  the  Romanists,  condemned, 
Offence,  interpretation  given  to  the  word,    . 
Paranomasia,  examples  of  this  figure  from  the  script 
Pastors,  love  they  owe  their  flocks, 

churches  commanded  to  support  their, 
relative  duties  between  churches  and, 

Path,  no  middle, 

Pattern,  Paul  proposes  himself  as  a,    . 

Paul,  a  servant, 

a  merchant,       ..... 

his  reasons  for  desiring  to  go  to  Rome,  . 

his  bonds  promote  the  gospel,     . 

outline  of  his  character, 

his  assurance  of  salvation, 

his  diligence,  .... 

his  dilemma,      ..... 

joy  in  the  piety  of  his  converts, 

tenderness  of,      . 

his  care  of  the  churches, 

vehemence  against  false  teachers, 

superiority  in  seven  particulars,       . 

Jewish  privileges  no  gain  to, 


people, 


ures, 


121 


smallest 


PAGE 

223 

88 

24,  385 

39 

40 

462 

75 

187 

208 

ib. 

221 

412 

121 

243 

122 

238 

337 

368 

357 

251 

187, 195 

363 

103 

228 

248 

445 

455 

466 
201 
214 
114 

56 
200-208 
37 
160 
182 
183 
43 
287 
24 
445,  455 
462 
80 
369 
16 
76 
51 
50-56 
65 
73 
83-86 
84 
229,  405 
248,  404 
244,  245 
288 
299-306 
307 


478 


GENERAL   INDEX. 


Paul,  some  of  Rome's  cardinals  assert  that  he  was  married. 
Peace  of  a  christian,  ....... 

Perfect,  signification  of  the  word,     ..... 

Perfection,  dangerous  tendency  of  the  doctrine  of, 

Paul's  view  of,      ..... 

Augustine's  remarks  on,    .... 

Jerome's  observations  on, 

Persecution  not  fortuitous, 

Perseverance  of  the  Philippians,      ..... 
ç    of  saints  certain,      ..... 
God  the  cause  of  believers', 

Pharisee,  meaning  of  the  word, 

Pharisees,  their  tenets,    ....... 

Philippi,  description  of, 

gospel  first  preached  in  it  by  Paul,    . 
Piety,  its  influence  on  the  affections,    .... 

marks  of, 

noXir£i>/<a, 


2^ 


Poured  forth," 

Prayer  at  all  times  enjoined, 

Prayers  of  the  church  powerful,        ...... 

Precepts  and  advice  of  the  apostles,  Rome's  unscriptural  distinction 

between, 

Presumption,  cautions  against,     ....... 

Purgatory  fabulous,        ........ 

Reasons  constraining  to  holiness,  ...... 

Reiteration  of  duties  necessary, 

Resurrection,  the  power  of  Christ's, 

Reverence,  superstitious,  at  the  name  of  Jesus, 
Riches  more  dangerous  than  poverty  to  the  church,     . 

Righteousness,  meaning  of  the  word, 

cause  and  end  of  the  fruits  of,       ...         . 
of  God,  typified  from  the  earliest  times,     . 

of  faith, 

of  the  law,       ....... 

Rome,  Paul's  reasons  for  desiring  to  go  to,  .... 

a  second  time  visited  by  Paul,       ..... 

church  of,  its  error  with  respect  to  necessity  of  knowledge  for 
a  believer,     ...... 

invocation  of  saints,  .... 

doctrine  of  purgatory,    .... 

superstitious  reverence  at  the  name  of  Jesus, 
views  of  assurance  and  perseverance, 
sacrifice  of  the  mass,  .... 

the  fallibility  of  its  infallibility,    . 
its  prohibition  of  the  reading  of  the  scriptures, 
abuse  of  the  title  Holy, 
unscriptural  distinction  between  the  precepts 
and  advice  of  the  apostles,    . 
celibacy  of  its  clergy, 
Sacrifices,  gospel  signification  of  the  word,      .... 

of  thanksgiving,         ...... 

Saints,  meaning  of  the  term, 

invocation  of  them  inadmissible,       .... 

their  patience  under  trials,  ..... 

Salvation,  attributed  altogether  to  God,      ...  28,  195 

assurance  of,  ....... 

difference  between  life  and,         .... 

Sanctification,  effect  of  the  grace  of  God.         .... 


411 

427 

359-362 

344 

342-349 

349.350 

348 

123 

22.  23 

71,  348 

71,  105 

304 

302,  304 

14 

14 

271 

446 

387 

238 

421 

72 

364 

209 

88 

219 

283 

332.  337 

174 

463 

45 

ib. 

324 

327 

ib. 

51 

92 

42 

73,  267 

88 

175 

91,  187 

240,  457 

288, 290 

289, 410 

362 

364 

412 

236-239 

458 

17 

73,  268 

269 

205,  208 

73,  109 

186 

19G 


GENERAL   INDEX 


479 


Sanctification,  the  object  of  our  redemption, 

eight  parts  of,  .... 

Scripture,  the  only  infallible  rule  of  faith,    . 
Sects  of  the  Jews,  ....<. 

Self-denying  nature  of  true  piety,        .... 

Servant,"  "  form  of  a, 

Servants  of  Jesus  Christ, 

~s.Kv(ia\a,  signification  of  the  word,  .... 

Soul,  not  destroyed  by  death, 

its  state  after  death 

Xirévêo/iai,  figurative  signification  of,      . 

"  Stand  fast," 

Steadfastness  enjoined, 

Sr)j*f£re,  meaning  of  the  word,  .... 

Stoics,  their  advice  to  their  disciples,  .... 

Strife  to  be  avoided,        ...... 

Sufferings  for  Christ,  honourable,        .... 

of  martyrs,  the  seed  of  the  church,   . 

for  doctrines,  unusual  among  the  pagans,     . 

for  Christ,  a  gift  of  God's  love, 
Supplications  with  thanksgivings,        .... 

Syntyche, 

Tares  and  wheat, 

Tertullian  quoted, 

Thanksgivings  of  Paul, 

with  supplication,      .... 

"  Thinketh  that  he  hath," 

Timothy,  praise  and  recommendation  of, 

Tranquillity  of  Paul  in  affliction,  .... 

Transubstantiation  opposed  to  the  declarations  of  Paul, 

Trembling,"  "  fear  and, 

Trials  of  believers,  ...... 

Truth,  God  gives  us  the  knowledge  of  his,  . 
Ubiquity  belongs  not  to  the  human  nature  of  Christ, 
Understandings,  the  pitiable  weakness  of  our, 
Union  necessary  in  the  church  of  Christ, 

among  the  Philippians  earnestly  desired  by  the  apostle 
between  ministers  and  their  churches,   . 
Universe,  dominion  over  it  ascribed  to  Christ,     . 
Vain-glory  to  be  guarded  against,    .... 

Warning  to  the  Philippians,  its  form  and  matter, 
Weaker  brethren,  course  to  be  adopted  towards, 
Wishing,  distinction  between  willing  and,    . 
Word  of  God,  the  only  infallible  rule  of  our  faith,    . 
"  Work  out  your  salvation,"       .... 

Worship  of  images, 

"  Worthy  of  the  gospel," 


PAfiR 

430 
432-437 
289,  290 
301-304 
402 
154 
16 
317 
87 
ib. 
238 
105 
406 
105,  406 
185 
139 
35 
36 
53 
113,123 
426 
407 
372 
217 
21 
426 
298 
252-259 
65 
90 
189 
",  269 
364 
393 
366 
109 
133 
228 
247 
139 
374-384 
365 
197 
288-290 
186 
409 
99 


